Temporary structure creates modern-day pyramid

Lonas y Estructuras contributes to a massive temporary structure that recalls a piece of Mexico’s history.

Mexico City’s main square, Plaza de la Constitución, commonly known as the Zócalo, has been a gathering place since the days of the Aztecs. In September 2009, thousands of Mexicans assembled in the square to kick off a year of celebrations marking the bicentennial of the nation’s independence and centennial of its revolution. And while hundreds of tented events are taking place around the country as part of the anniversaries, the plaza continues to be the focal point.

In March, Mexican President Felipe Calderón inaugurated a traveling museum, Mexico in Your Senses, in a temporary fabric structure erected in the square. The museum featured photographs and videos of the country’s multiethnic and cultural wealth.

“I am delighted that Mexico in Your Senses is being displayed in Mexico City’s main square, in the heart of the city, which is built on the former site of the Great Tenochtitlán, and covered by an architectural feat which, though ephemeral, is marvelous and recalls the pyramids of Mexico Tenochtitlán, destroyed in the wake of the Spaniards’ arrival,” Calderón said at the inauguration.

The structure was designed by architectural firm Sordo Madaleno y Asociados and directed by one of Mexico’s leading urban development companies, IDEURBAN. IFAI memberLonas y Estructuras S.A. de C.V. provided 18,000 square meters of fabric for the structure, says David Becerra, project manager for Lonas y Estructuras. Six firms worked on the project, which required about 30 days to build.