Unidad Diseño

  • Oerlikon Italiana de México

    1975.

    1 of 3

  • Oerlikon Italiana de México

    1975.

    2 of 3

  • Oerlikon Italiana de México

    1975.

    3 of 3

Oerlikon Italiana de México

Oerlikon Italiana’s production plant was part of an industrial corridor set up in the state of Tlaxcala to manufacture metal and mechanical pieces for subway car assembly. The competition for this project was organized by Nacional Financiera and Oerlikon Italiana. Being chosen as winners, Mario Lazo travelled to Milan to receive the award, and visited the company´s industrial plant. With a clear idea of the functional and production process aspects to be dealt with, we returned to the site in Tlaxcala. We found a beautiful wheat field, and the wheat spikes became the most significative image we took from the visit.

The industrial plant was completed in 1974, including a water tank needed to supply the factory. This tank was designed with prefabricated pieces, recalling the natural geometry of those wheat spikes in its volumetric solution.

Several years later (1990), Arata Isozaki designed a landmark tower for an arts complex in Mito (Japan), with the same geometric solution, built in metal instead of concrete. This led to a friendly exchange of letters with the renowned Japanese architect.

          
        
        

Project information

  • Tlaxcala, México
  • 1975