Milán 44 ReUrbano

Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau

MILÁN 44 REURBANO

Francisco Pardo Arquitecto + Julio Amezcua

ARCHITECTS
Francisco Pardo Arquitecto, Julio Amezcua

RESTAURANT ‘OJO DE AGUA’ DESIGN
Casa Villana

REAL ESTATE CONCEPT
ReUrbano. Rodrigo Rivero Borrell Wheatley + Alberto Kritzler Ring

MANUFACTURERS
Daltile, Comex, Panel Rey

PHOTOGRAPHS
Diana Arnau

AREA
1016

YEAR
2017

LOCATION
Colonia juárez, Mexico

CATEGORY
Mixed use architecture, refurbishment

Text description provided by architect.

Designed by Francisco Pardo Arquitecto, in collaboration with architect Julio Amezcua, Milán 44 is an urban-regeneration project located in Colonia Juarez, Mexico City.

Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau

The project transforms an old four-storey warehouse that was originally home to an auto-parts store into an urban market that reactivates a neighborhood, which connects two entirely contrasting areas.

On one side, the booming business district that lines the emblematic Paseo de la Reforma, and on the other side, the lively epicenter of hipster subculture, Colonia Roma Norte.

Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau

This area, which has been in decay since the 1985 earthquake, is currently experiencing a slow gentrification process.

Centrally located and rich in history, it has been equipped with new infrastructure and now holds the genetic code for the city’s future development.

Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau

Transforming the existing building according to the new dynamics of the area has been the main challenge for the architectural firm, who decided to integrate a regular grid of concrete beams, columns and slabs, originally conceived from a utilitarian perspective, into the poly-dynamic venue’s new public role.

Left exposed like a raw skeleton, the reticular structure is the framework for a two-storey local market, restaurants, and several private commercial spaces including a barber’s shop and a yoga studio.

Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau

The new public program intrinsically and physically forms an extension of the city itself: the former warehouse with its blind façades vigorously shakes off its skin, opening up and inviting the urban fabric to come in.

While maintaining its original scale and structure, the building has undergone a complete metamorphosis: a green staircase has been added to generate fluid vertical circulation.

Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau

Acting like a fil-rouge, this element connects the spaces and invites visitors to explore the building extensively.

“Through it, the street folds to the inside and upwards” says Francisco Pardo, founder of the architectural practice. “it’s like a vortex that transversely crosses the building, pulling the street right up to the rooftop”.

Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau

The architectural peak culminates on the top floor, which is also open to the public and hosts a beer bar: in this way, the Milán 44 project gives back to the city much more than just the ground floor of a standard building, which is typically designated for commercial use.

In its place, an entirely fresh, dynamic venue has emerged, in homage to the collectivity that embodies the radical change embracing the area.

Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau


Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau
Milán 44 ReUrbano
© Diana Arnau


Milán 44 ReUrbano
Ground Floor Plan
Milán 44 ReUrbano
First Floor Plan
Milán 44 ReUrbano
Second Floor Plan
Milán 44 ReUrbano
Third Floor Plan
Milán 44 ReUrbano
Forth Floor Plan


Milán 44 ReUrbano
Cross Section 01
Milán 44 ReUrbano
Cross Section 02
Milán 44 ReUrbano
Longitudinal Section


Milán 44 ReUrbano
Axonometric