Designed by LEAP Laboratorio en Arquitectura Progresiva, The new Torre Olmo is in the city of Xalapa, next to the highway overpass Arco Sur. The site has a strong topographic slope, with the highest level being 7m above the street level.

On the west side of the building is a stairway that connects to the lobby, a ramp offers an alternate way of arriving in the same lobby. The lobby and the business center are located above the commercial space. This floor level offers different services as a front desk, an auditorium and meeting rooms among other amenities. The office floors are completely flexible so they can accommodate a wide variety of layouts, there is a central core where elevators, stairs, and bathrooms are located.

The design of the outer facade layer gives the office building a distinctive character. From a distance and during the day it is perceived as a solid metallic cube. The texture is achieved with only two different 3D panels and all the possible configurations allowed by the geometry of the panels. By night the skin of the building becomes transparent due to the tiny perforations of the metal sheet, transforming the building into an urban night lamp. Photography: Jorge Taboada
Design Challenge
The main challenge was to find an adequate and balanced response to the program, which required flexible open office space, and the site which is located on a rising platform right beside a vehicular overpass. The characteristics of the site demanded an architectu...