La construcción de los multifamiliares de Mario Pani: historia, problemas y retos actuales

Abstract

The paper discusses the history of the construction of the first two multifamily housing complexes built in Mexico City: the Centro Urbano Presidente Alemán (CUPA) (President Alemán Urban Center) and the Centro Urbano Presidente Juárez (CUPJ) (President Juárez Urban Center), built in 1949 and 1952 respectively, during the presidency of Miguel Alemán and designed by Mario Pani, whose main referent in housing design were the postulates of Le Corbusier. Reference is made to the role played by the financial investment, the land, and the architectural and structural design in the construction of both groups, and especially to their continuation into the present. The Miguel Alemán complex—despite being the first work in which processes and construction techniques were tested— is still standing and has acquired the status of cultural heritage. In contrast, the Juárez complex, although it was an improved version of the original plan, disappeared almost entirely due to the conditions of the subsoil. The construction of the multifamily complexes designed by Mario Pani represented a paradigm in the construction of Mexico for employing revolutionized systems and techniques that incorporated the most advanced technologies and materials of the time. Monumental structures were materialized by the construction firm ICA, which was born with these buildings. Together with the housing typology, a construction typology —based on innovative reinforced concrete framed structures that allowed the construction of housing on a large scale and height— was also born.