Metropolis
A Reuse Renaissance Continues to Reshape Mexico City
Two projects in the Mexican capital show how adaptive reuse can itself adapt to social, economic, and spatial circumstances. Courtesy Gabriel Monroy
The practice of converting aging buildings for different, more timely functions isn’t new in Mexico City. As in other global capitals, the shift from manufacturing to service industries and evolving demographic patterns have produced a growing stock of abandoned or under-occupied structures, many with great potential. Coinciding with it is the need for spaces that fit the changing dynamics of today’s urban economies and that accommodate models of living and working, which didn’t exist a few decades ago or not in the neighborhoods where they have rapidly emerged recently.