Hotel Centro

infill in the historical center of Guadalajara

Hotel Centro, 2011

Located at the corner of a plaza surrounded by the famous Gudalajara Cathedral on the east and other historic buildings on the other three sides, the estate faces a focal point for local and foreign tourists as well as the Rotonda of Illustrious Jalis-ciences. Honoring these monuments, and especially the Cathedral; the hotel project pulls itself away from the boundaries of the plot, leaning its back to the neighbor buildings. Such an organization also lets the view penetrate into the plot, making the view of the cathedral available for all the rooms required in the program, in addition to the spaces that contain collective activities, such as the lobby, the café, the restaurant, and the pool terrace.

The orientation of the block also facilitates environmental control. To maximize the view and provide different perspectives, floor slabs come on top of each other with rotating angles and form a series of terraces in front of the hotel rooms. This angular formal organization which challenges the traditional tissue is hidden behind a second envelope that filters the view and evokes curiosity among the guests to visit the rest of the historic downtown. This envelope begins with a solid texture and dissolves gradually towards the corner, opening up all the spaces to the plaza, the cathedral and the rotunda.