A four-storey building in Mexico makes extensive use of glass blocks

The building by Emilio Alvarez Abouchard Arquitectura is located in Avenida Central, a street of Morelia, Mexico, where large sidewalks and trees merge with avant-garde urbanism. The building creates a connection with la calle and with people walking around the plot, letting them connect with the architecture. Avenida Central Building has a total area of 400 m² organized on four levels: on the groundfloor, a glazed space is destined to an outdoor terrace facing the sidewalk, the first and the second floors host the Dermatology Center and a large terrace on the upper floor offers a view on the surrounding street and landscape. The spaces are linked by oudoor stairs, running on the south façade of the building, while “la tour de verre” – an elevator tower characterised by the extensive use of glass blocks – occupies a portion of the front elevation. A parking area hidden behind the edificio can be accessed through a passage under the structure that lifts the building from the ground.   The glazed façade and the white surfaces transmit a general sense of lightness that perfectly fits with the green urban setting that surrounds the building. The structure of beams and columns is left visible; the floor is composed of concrete tiles. The U-glass is used for the windows that run as a ribbon on the front: these openings are separated by structural beams, in a reminiscence of the avant-garde movement. The large glazed surfaces allow the interiors to express openness and light. The thin balaustrade on the top adds lightness to the whole building.