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8A Architecten

Hotel Centro 2010
CoARQ organised a design competition called ’Hotel Centro 2010 International Ideas Competition’. 8A made a design for the competition.

assignment
The assignment was to design a hotel, dedicated to the recreational and cultural tourism, that constitutes a building of architectonic relevance that coexists with the immediate context, integrated by buildings constructed between the 16th and 20th centuries in the very centre of Guadalajara, Mexico.

design
"The custom of making an Ojo de Dios is a family tradition believed to have begun with the Ruichol Indians of Jalisco, Mexico."

The design has been approached from an integral and pragmatic stance, in which local culture and climate, given program and the specific location for the building have been the inspiration. The location of the building looks out over the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, located in the very centre of Guadalajara. The buildings that surround the Plaza are characterised by arcades and promenades, which give shelter to the sun and rain for people on the street. These characteristics have been the starting point for the design of Hotel Centro. By continuing the two promenades of the Plaza corner buildings, an arched entrance to the hotel has been created. The arcades of the entrance have been repeated in the base of the building, through which it opens itself towards the street and connects with the urban space. The hotel has a central patio to bring daylight into the building, which refers to the beautiful courtyards and patio’s of the surrounding monumental buildings. These principles make the building coexist with the immediate context. The central patio forms the heart of the building. All functions are connected with this elegantly shaped inner space and benefit from the sustainable atmosphere and daylight that it brings inside.

The facade of the building consists of diamond shaped elements, which refer to the characteristic Mexican ‘Ojo de Dios’ fabrics. It has been designed as a mainly closed and introvert ‘skin’ of the building, which filters sunlight to keep the bedrooms cool and at the same time gives a special light effect into the bedrooms.

Hotel Centro is designed as a contemporary tourist hotel expressing the local culture and linking to historical context.