Main author
Michael BrooksCalakmul Corporate Building, Mexico
The Calakmul Corporate Building is located in the Sante Fe neighbourhood of Mexico City, and is known locally as ‘La Lavadora’ (the washing machine). It was constructed in 1997 on what had been a junkyard before being reclaimed by the city government and developed into an affluent business district.
It was designed by architect Agustin Hernandez Navarro to honour the Mayan from whom the name Calakmul derives, and incorporates elements that represent the earth and the sky.
The complex consists of two separate modernist buildings – the nine-storey washing machine-esque structure and the adjacent pyramidal structure. The separated exterior is pristine white concrete, attached to the central commercial office building which is made of mirrored-glass, giving the impression of a globe inside a cube.
See the full Unusual building design of the week series here.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architectural styles.
- Building of the week series.
- Dali Theatre and Museum.
- Dancing House, Prague.
- Gentle Genius.
- Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao.
- Habitat 67.
- Little Crooked House, Poland.
- Lotus Temple.
- Luxor Las Vegas.
- Office Center 1000 Kaunas.
- Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea.
- St. Basil’s Cathedral.
- Tallest buildings in the world.
- The Gherkin.
- The Mile.
- The Oculus.
- Unusual building design of the week.
- Watts Towers.
Featured articles and news
The future of UK power generation
UK energy policy uncertainty as Welsh project put on hold
What collaborative working achieves and how it can be put in place.
BSRIA publishes the 2019 edition of its small but concise annual databook.
Using QSAND to measure the performance of disaster response.
What U-values are, why they matter and how they are calculated.
Planning for a more bio-resourceful future
The need to ensure that we plan for all aspects of our bio-economy
BSRIA calls on government to reach deeper into the causes of pollution.
George Demetri brings a whole new level of technical knowledge to Designing Buildings Wiki.
Quality professionals need to take an active role in driving the completion process forwards.
The innovations needed to move from rhetoric to realisation.
Gresham's School Britten Building
Creating a sense of place, with radically-low running costs and the highest comfort levels.
A conversation between David Mitchell and Caitlin DeSilvey.