As preparation for the MEXTRÓPOLI 2020 Architecture and City Festival taking place in March gets underway, the festival organizers have announced the winners of a pavilion contest held in conjunction with the event. The international competition, led by Arquine, called for architects and designers to submit their best proposals for a temporary pavilion to be located within Mexico City. According to the competition brief, participants should aim to create a structure that would generate creative discourse surrounding the themes of innovation and sustainability. Proposals should also create an open public program that builds a place for the interaction between architecture and citizenship.

The contest's powerhouse jury consisted of Tatiana Bilbao, Ruth Estévez, Carlos Facio, Alberto Odériz, Saidee Springall, and Alejandro Tapia. After reviewing and evaluating 292 proposals, the group selected its winners.

The jury awarded Gastronmic Palapa by Sabrina Morreale, Lorenzo Perri (Lemonot Studio) and Federico Fauli the winning project. When selecting the second and third place winners, the jury was faced with a difficult task. After much deliberation, the contest coordinators share, "the jurors decided to divide the second and third place prize among the following three projects (without hierarchy) so that the three projects would receive the same economic compensation." As a result, the three teams will split the sum total of the second place $2661 (50,000MXN) and third place $1330 (25,000MXN) prizes between themselves equally.

Learn more about the winning projects and their jury comments below courtesy of the contest coordinators.

First Prize
Project: Gastronmic Palapa

Team: Sabrina Morreale, Lorenzo Perri (Lemonot Studio) and Federico Fauli of London

Jury Response: A sensory pavilion whose visual and aromatic effect is interesting and striking in the Alameda Central. The tables may be spaces for citizens to live together as well as being a sculptural element that stands out from the structure. This proposal meets the need to generate shade on the esplanade, as specified in the technical bases of this edition.

Second and Third Prizes
Project: The Consequence Pavilion

Team: Barbara Schoepke Lihn, Montserrat Paz Castro Urrutia, Paulina Salza Mardones of Santiago

Jury Response: It is a very simple piece that, with three repeated elements (sand, brick and tubes), invites interaction. Citizen participation on this piece results in landscape modification.

Project: Beyond the Horizon

Team: Victor Akio de Oliveira Itonaga and Isabella de Carvalho Derenusson of Brasilia

Jury Response: This project stands out for proposing an artifact in height that allows you to see another point of the Alameda Central. It is not an element that is observed from outside, but serves as a tool to change the viewpoint of the visitor.

Project: CUIDAD (IN)SOSTENIBLE

Team: Héctor Alejandro Martínez Mota, Santiago Echarri Cotler, Álvaro Martínez Mejía, Diego David Juárez López of Mexico City.

Jury Response: The strength of this project is its forcefulness, about a discourse and a proposal that depend on a specific element. However, there are recent references in the art world that somehow remind us of this project.

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