Located on the hillside of Sierra Santa Catarina, the site directly serves 28,000 inhabitants in urgent need of recreational spaces and water. By removing the borders and placing a transparent permeable fence, the place becomes a sustainable water management landmark located in an important crossroads. It fosters street life by adopting Paraíso Street and turning it into a shared mobility thoroughfare with commerce, reducing crime in what the community detected as the most dangerous street in the area.

Congratulating the Global LafargeHolcim Awards Gold 2018 winners (l-r): Rodolfo Montero, CEO of Holcim Mexico; winners Loreta Castro Reguera, Taller Capital and Manuel Perló, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM); with members of the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation Roland Köhler, Enrique Norten, and Maria Atkinson.

The local government is pushing for the publicly accessible water park project to be completed soon.

The rainwater mirror lies at the center of the park. This venue is intended to transform from dry-scape to waterscape along the year.

The water treatment basins are ready, the buildings and landscaping to complete the section are still ongoing.

The core of the park is formed by the Weeping Willow courtyard. This venue works during rainy days, catching the aboveground rainwater and producing a temporary pond that gradually filters water.

Project author Loreta Castro Reguera explaining how great amounts of earth had to be moved in order to make use of the gravitational flow of water.

The open-air theatre is adjacent to Calle Paraíso, detected as the most dangerous in the area. It will promote night activities to have open space occupation along most of the day.

Through a set of hard, vegetated squares and gardens, the park provides spaces for all age groups and genders.

The site will become a soft water management infrastructure powered with solar energy. It will filter 68,000m3 of runoff per year. Due to water scarcity in the area, 86.4 m3/day of waste water will be treated for its further use in a system of public toilets that serve those that, although having the facility, do not have water. Furthermore, the park will more than triple the number of trees in the area, augmenting open space from 1–3 m2/person, emphasizing the sponge-like capabilities of the ground.

Quebradora facilitates non-motorized mobility, enabling movement from up the sierra to Ermita.

The park stitches together the previously uncommunicated surroundings, promoting day-long activities.

Cross section: Molding the site through a strategy of stone retention walls and platforms.

Cross section relating sidewalk and park. Underground runoff flows. Park program underneath

Main entrance through Ermita-Minas-Paraíso, busy crossroads, view towards Sierra Santa Catarina.

Each public square is represented by an endemic tree species, providing it with identity.

Social center roof terrace view, southeastern access. Endemic plants adjust to climate conditions

Adding a museum and a library with cafeteria are part of the community’s proposals.

Located on the hillside of Sierra Santa Catarina, the site directly serves 28,000 inhabitants in urgent need of recreational spaces and water. By removing the borders and placing a transparent permeable fence, the place becomes a sustainable water management landmark located in an important crossroads. It fosters street life by adopting Paraíso Street and turning it into a shared mobility thoroughfare with commerce, reducing crime in what the community detected as the most dangerous street in the area.

Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards Gold 2017 (l-r): Loreta Castro Reguera and Manuel Perló Cohen, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City for Publicly-accessible water retention and treatment complex in Mexico.

Presentation to the winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards Gold (l-r): Angelo Bucci, Co-founder & Principal, spbr arquitetos; and Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture & Urbanism, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil and Head of the LafargeHolcim Awards jury; prize winners Manuel Perló Cohen and Loreta Castro Reguera, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City for Publicly-accessible water retention and treatment complex in Mexico; Edward Schwarz, General Manager, LafargeHolcim Foundation.

Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards Main prizes (l-r): Jonathan Franklin, Exxpon and Sol Camacho Davalos, Raddar, Brazil (Silver); Loreta Castro Reguera and Manuel Perló Cohen, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Gold); Eva Pfannes and Sylvain Hartenberg from Ooze Architects, Netherlands (Bronze).

Loreta Castro and Manuel Perló (speaking) explained how their LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 Gold winning project in Mexico City brings together public amenities in combination with an integrated water retention and treatment complex.

Project team.