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Corporativo World Plaza

Mexico City, Mexico

The Corporativo World Plaza is a sleek skyscraper in Mexico City’s

Santa Fe area and an instantly recognisable feature of this vibrant new
commercial district. The lighting had to differentiate the building,
underline the corporate identity and enhance the architecture.

The World Plaza building is situated on a hilltop
overlooking Mexico City, in the Santa Fe district,
a new development area for corporate as well as
residential construction. The site of the building
was formerly little more than a garbage dump,
but in the mid-1970s resources were made
available to arrest urban decay and make this
district a development hub for the city. It has
now emerged as a business district that has set
new standards for quality and style.
Architectural competition has grown as
companies have sought to create corporate
icons that are instantly recognisable by the
general public and are differentiated from
1 The lobby as a series of
other buildings.
overlapping layers, viewed
from the outside
A bold lighting statement was required for this
high-rise structure, with its façade of steel and 2 View of the entrance of the
glass. The colour of choice was blue, to contrast Corporativo World Plaza
with the surrounding buildings. The site was
3 Corporativo World Plaza
approached as layers wrapped around a central
core, which corresponded to the building’s 4 Corporativo World Plaza
lighting plan
1

3 4

ilr 2006 / Architecture 33

 5

5 The lobby as a series of

overlapping layers, viewed
form the inside

6 400 W metal-halide uplights

create a blue haze that
washes over
the entire facade

Contracting authority: ALHEL
Architect: Michael Edmonds, John Grimshaw,
Edmonds International S.A. de C.V.,
Mexico City, Mexico
Lighting design: Luis Lozoya, Light+Form,
Mexico City, Mexico
Electrical installer: Rodrigo López
Philips support: Javier Villaseñor, Cecilia Huesca,
German Villalobos, Lighting, Mexico City
Luminaires: Façade uplight, PMM;
Fragata, Channel, Philips
Light sources: Metal-halide 400 W, Venture;
CDM PAR30 70 W, T5 28 W, AR111 50 W, Philips
Photographer: Paul Citrom, Hector Velasco Facio
Text: Luis Lozoya
Web: www.lf.com.mx
lobby. The basic concept was to give each layer a
distinct colour temperature. Outside, a different
light source, sodium, was selected to produce
the desired dramatic effect on the wall, creating
the impression of a green moat between the
building and the street.
The vehicular access to the lobby features LEDs
embedded in the ground to indicate the
circulation routes. A translucent glass ‘curtain’
was erected to shield the lobby entrance from the
wind and rain. It is designed as a floating veil
that extends from the entrance canopy to a
water-filled opening in the ground. Underwater
halogen uplights in the fountain project a
shimmering halo onto the translucent wall, so
that constantly changing patterns of light
welcome visitors to the building.
The lobby was conceived as a series of
overlapping layers, with different colour
temperatures and with the direction of the
lighting alternating from ceiling to floor.
The first layer is established by the aluminium-
clad columns, which mark the entrance. Each
one is lit with compact high-intensity discharge
lamps with a colour temperature of 3000 K,
providing a contrast with the downlights at the
lobby’s glass wall. This element was lit with
compact high-intensity discharge lamps with
a colour temperature of 4100 K, creating a pool
of light dividing the exterior and the interior of
the entrance hall.
The reception features a transparent floating
glass element illuminated by high-luminance
LEDs recessed in the floor.
Access to the elevators was defined within slits
of light in the internal façade, separating the
materials composing the vertical elements
from each other.
The facade lighting, which is mounted on top of
the entrance canopy, consists of ten 400 W
metal-halide uplights. These create a blue haze
that washes over the entire façade. As the visitor
approaches the building, the colour wash
increases in intensity as the viewing angle
becomes smaller.
The lighting design chosen has helped to make
the Corporativo World Plaza instantly
recognisable and one of Mexico City’s most
prized corporate locations. ■

34 ilr 2006 / Architecture