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AT A FORMAL LEVEL, THIS OCCURS THROUGH THE WAY IN WHICH THE ROOF EXTENDS TOWARDS THE CITY AND OUT OVER THE FIELD. THE STEPS TO THE ENTRANCE PLAZA GRADUALLY DESCEND TO CONNECT TO THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE. THE TRUNCATED TRAPEZOIDS ARE SPACED SUCH THAT VISITORS CAN SEE THE PROGRAM UNFOLDING WITHIN.
The design of the new stadium could have embraced its island like setting within the interior of the racetrack and created an insular inward-looking experience. This was not the path taken. Instead, the stadium seeks to integrate itself with the surrounding community. At a formal level, this occurs through the way in which the roof extends towards the city and out over the field. The steps to the entrance plaza gradually descend to connect to the surrounding landscape.
At the programmatic level, the plaza of the stadium has been designated as a space for a marketplace on non-game days. At the aesthetic level, the stadium references the history of urban form and ultimately becomes evocative of the Aztec city. The materiality of these truncated trapezoids further references the local context by utilizing a volcanic stone as part of the prefabricated concrete panels.
The decision to clad the roof with a lightweight PTFE fabric membrane reflects a desire not only to provide the necessary shelter, but a vision that the use of light materials can support broader sustainability and the continued success of our cities. The streamlined forms of the stadium are a direct expression of structural requirements while the use of a PTFE textile cladding system responds both to the specific sheltering requirements of the program and the current state of material innovation. This attitude is carried out throughout the building as each element is reduced to the most essential characteristics so that one element can perform as many functions as possible.
The design strives for a Net-Zero building using passive systems with minimal HVAC integration and active water reduction systems. This goal of sustainable design including minimal ecological impact sets a strong precedent for a new standard of building within Mexico.
The strategy for achieving Net Zero Energy began by determining a baseline for energy consumption: 1250 MWh. This was made up of general lighting, space cooling, fans and ventilation, a waste water treatment plan, space heating, pumps, receptacles, field and canopy lighting, heat rejection, and stand along base utilities. The overall consumption could be reduced through efficient lighting, lighting controls, air side economizer, demand control, VFD on fans, chiller efficiency, and energy recovery (museum and retail). This new number would be 62.3% of the baseline. In order to meet this demand, the team proposed generating solar energy on site and building a biodigester. With the biodigester working at full capacity, it could cover 23% of the baseline and the solar panels could cover 35% - together nearly meeting the full demand of the stadium.
ABOVE, THERE IS THE CANOPY, THE SIGNATURE OF THE STADIUM THAT PROVIDES SHELTER FOR THOUSANDS OF FANS BY CANTILEVERING OVER THE SEATS AND EXTENDING TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE TO SHELTER GUESTS AS THEY ARRIVE. BELOW, SEATS COLORED WITH A GRADIENT FROM RED TO BLACK DESCEND FROM THE ENTRANCE LEVEL TO THE FIELD.
THE STREAMLINED FORMS OF THE STADIUM ARE A DIRECT EXPRESSION OF STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS WHILE THE USE OF A PTFE TEXTILE CLADDING SYSTEM RESPONDS BOTH TO THE SPECIFIC SHELTERING REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM AND THE CURRENT STATE OF MATERIAL INNOVATION.
In order to achieve net zero waste, the team planned to divert 100% of recyclable waste from land-fills and incinerators. The organic waste would be directed to a self-contained biodigester that would also collect ½ truck load of organic waste per day from offsite. The output would be electric energy for building use and organic fertilizer for landscape. The biodigester could produce 64 KW by processing 2,000 tons of waste / year. The stadium produces 50 tons of waste / year which will utilize approximately 2.5% of the biodigester’s capacity. This would require an additional ½ of a small truck load of imported waste per day to provide the remaining 1,950 tons of waste. This would not only meet the net zero goal, but would divert a significant amount of waste from the neighboring area.
The goal was also to create a building where no potable water is used for irrigation, toilet flushing, and equipment water make up. One hundred percent of non-potable water would be used originates from closed-loop water systems, appropriately purified without the use of harmful chemicals. One hundred percent of storm water and building water discharge would be managed on-site to feed the project's internal water demands. Rain water from the roof, plaza, field, and berm would be collected in a series of tanks. This water would then be treated with an advanced filtration system that then would deposit the water in a tank for potable water that could also be used for fire protection.
