Soumaya Museum by Fernando Romero architects

The structure, made of 16,000 hexagonal aluminum plates composes the external visual spectacle of the Soumaya Museum.

This is the second museum opened by Carlos Slim, a mexican business magnate; it is named after his late wife and will house slim’s collection of artwork by auguste rodin, considered the biggest outside France.

Following text is from from fernando romero architects:

The soumaya museum is located on a former industrial zone dating from the 1940’s which today presents a very high commercial potential. the soumaya museum plays a key role in the reconversion of the area: as a preeminent cultural program, it acts as an initiator in the transformation of the urban perception.

In order to create a new identity for the site, the building needed to acquire a strong urban presence. thus, the soumaya museum was conceived as a sculptural building that is both unique and contemporary.

From the outside, the building is an organic and asymmetrical shape that is perceived differently by each visitor, while reflecting the diversity of the collection on the inside.

This heterogeneous collection is housed in a continuous exhibition space spread over six levels, representing approximately 6,000 m².

The shell of the building is constructed with 28 steel curved columns of different diameters, each with its own geometry and shape, offering the visitor a soft non-linear circulation all through the building. located at each floor level, seven ring beams provide a system that braces the structure and guarantees its stability. the top floor is the most generous space of the museum; its roof is suspended from an impressive cantilever that allows natural daylight to flow in freely. in contrast, the building’s envelope is nearly opaque, offering little and scarce openings to the outside. this gesture can be interpreted as an intention to create a protected shelter for the art collection. the façade is made of hexagonal aluminum modules that optimize the preservation and durability of the entire building.

My own work has taken on an architectural sense in its structural durability and how i consider this an important factor in the success of the structures. So the use of hexagons as a structural element as well as an aesthetic element.

The hexagon is an intriguing shape to look at given its symmetry and angles, and how in abundance they work together to for complex structures. This same idea using squares, would be a simple grid, whereas the hexagons create a more fluid visual.

In my own work i am investigating this fluidity in geometry, drawing upon natural elements and natural expressions of hexagons, such as the Giant's Causeway. By exposing the fluid nature of something we presume to be rigid, changes our perspective of that new shape or structure and makes us question our surroundings and common perceptions about the environment.