Palacio de Hierro 10 years

To commemorate its tenth anniversary, El Palacio de Hierro Polanco and curator Ana Elena Mallet invited us to design a celebratory pavilion. El Palacio de Hierro Polanco is a luxury department store whose flagship building draws inspiration from four areas of Mexico City: Avenida Reforma, Roma–Condesa, Lomas de Chapultepec, and El Pedregal de San Ángel. The store’s entrance plaza, located at the intersection of Moliere and Horacio Avenues, is defined by a distinctive circular fountain 14 meters in diameter. We proposed creating a contemplative space open to the public, positioned directly above this fountain, which would itself function as a large fountain—8 meters high and 18 meters in diameter. The steel structure pavilion takes the form of a cylindrical volume. Its circular façade is composed of more than 1,500 galvanized chains, and at its center lies a 7 meter wide black reflecting pool, surrounded by a generous circular bench. Water from the fountain is pumped up to the pavilion’s roof, where it gently flows down along the perimeter chains into a gutter that collects it for recirculation. Meanwhile, four drops fall onto the central reflecting pool at four specific points, referencing the geographical locations of four emblematic fountains situated in each of the neighborhoods that inspired the department store. This small “Palace of Iron” (English for Palacio de Hierro) is highly permeable, allowing passersby to glimpse inside, while inviting visitors to ascend to a viewing platform 4.5 meters above ground. From there, they can enjoy new perspectives of the surrounding city and a close relationship with the nearby treetops and its blossoms. The chains, which reflect sunlight throughout the day, give the façade a dynamic, living quality. The pavilion—an exploration of water and the city—also enriches the public space of the neighborhood.