Bicentennial Ring

FR-EE and Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, the architect responsible for several of Mexico’s most iconic buildings, collaborated on the design of a monumental new landmark to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Mexico’s independence, and acknowledge and celebrate its social and urban progress. Located at the end of Mexico City’s most important boulevard, Paseo de la Reforma, and adjacent to Chapultepec Park and Torre Mayor, one of the tallest buildings in Latin America, the site is both the natural and symbolic center of Mexico City.

FR-EE and Pedro Ramírez Vázquez proposed a ring as a representation of and metaphor for unity, wholeness, and infinity—a modern interpretation of Mexican symbols for protection. Unlike a simple circle, which has two opposing faces that never touch, the monument is formed as a Moebius strip—a single continuous face that is 3-dimensional at every point—with a diameter of 100 meters.

The Bicentennial Ring is conceived as three distinct yet interconnected spaces: the monument; a subterranean space containing a memorial and historic timeline that doubles as a pedestrian walkway; and a sculpted public plaza housing a pair of amphitheaters for open-air concerts, public gatherings, and other events.

YEAR

2009

STATUS

Competition

SCALE

10,000 m² /

107,639 ft²

LOCATION

Mexico City, Mexico

 

CLIENT

Federal Government of Mexico

 

CONTEXT

FR-EE worked with renowned architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez to create a new model for a large-scale, mixed-use, urban infrastructure. The design features a monumental ring based on the Moebius strip, embodying unity. It was constructed with 10 prefabricated pieces, each representing 20 years of Mexico’s independent history.

 

TEAM

Fernando Romero and Pedro Ramírez Vázquez: Ana Medina, Sergio Rebelo, Tiago Pinto, Roberto Rosales, Pedro Lechuga, Carlos Moreno, Cornelis Van Almsick, Dolores Robles – Martínez, Hugo Vela, Susana Hernández, Laura Domínguez, Johanna Huang, Joshua Petrie, Juan Pedro López, Mario Mora, Prabhu Sugumar.

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