Arup Designs Five Tall Buildings in Mexico City

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• Latin America - español

NEW YORK, July 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Arup, a multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm with a reputation for delivering innovative and sustainable designs, announced today that it is currently working on five tall buildings in Mexico City in various stages of design and construction, including Torre Reforma which will be the tallest tower in Mexico City when complete.

Having broken ground on July 17, 2013, Arup is working with Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon Arquitectos on Torre Manacar, located on Avenida Insurgentes Sur. With 12 basement levels, superstructure construction for this 30-story tower is anticipated to get above ground in late 2014.

Also with Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon Arquitectos, Arup developed a structural scheme for Torre Pedregal 24 which cantilevers the front of the building nearly 60 meters over a historically listed pavilion by the famous architect, Vladimir Kaspe.  By balancing the iconic V shaped building on a single pair of mega-brace columns per facade, the lobby levels are free and clear of columns and provide unobstructed views into the park. Arup utilized advanced seismic design and analysis techniques to deliver a cost-effective structural design tailored to the specific seismic hazards of Mexico City. The lateral loads are shared between a central reinforced concrete core system and the perimeter mega-brace system. 

Working with Benjamin Romano Associados, Torre Reforma will feature an innovative architecturally exposed concrete core wall lateral system with sloping brace elements on the front facade to cantilever the building over another historically listed hacienda and provide a 57-story tower without a single continuous vertical column.  A unique floor joist system saves steel quantities and achieves variable long spans with ease. In addition to structural engineering, Arup also provided a sustainable design for the building services and facade to achieve LEED Platinum rating

"Arup has been indispensable in helping to transform my architectural vision into an efficient and buildable structure," said architect Benjamin Romano. "They have provided innovative solutions to the complex seismic issues in Mexico City, and have been instrumental in helping the bidding contractors understand that Torre Reforma is not more complex than standard vertical construction, it just applies construction methods that contractors are familiar with in a new and different way."

In the neighboring block, Arup is working with architects Taller-G to design Punta Chapultapec, a slender 236 meter mixed-use tower next to Chapultapec Park. The narrow site and the need to set back from the adjacent Torre Mayor means that the structure is only 25 meters at its widest point, and tapers as it rises. Accelerations due to wind-induced vibrations have been carefully controlled with dampers to provide a suitable level of comfort to the residential occupants at the top of the building.  Demolition of the previous building is now complete, with tendering under way for the substructure works.

Across the street from Punta Chapultapec, Arup worked alongside architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Legoretta + Legoretta to develop an eccentrically braced mega-frame for BBVA-Bancomer Torre Ejecutiva that wraps around the tower's perimeter, freeing the internal floor-plate and creating a ductile seismic resisting system.  

In the last 30 years, Arup has been involved in the design of more than 650 tall building projects in more than 45 countries. Arup consistently brings its global experience and local presence to provide innovative and cost-effective solutions to its tall building projects. Arup's structural engineers possess a full understanding of construction as well as design, allowing architects to realize their most ambitious and daring visions at a price that developers can afford.  

About Arup
Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the world's most prominent projects in the built environment and across industry. Its engineers and consultants deliver innovative projects across the world. The firm was founded in 1946 with an enduring set of values that fosters a distinctive culture, intellectual independence and collaborative approach. The people at Arup are driven to find a better way to deliver better solutions for their clients. (www.arup.com)

SOURCE Arup