Glorieta Cibeles Tower

The Glorieta Cibeles Tower is a complete up-cycle of a 1979 74m tall and slender 18 story office structure that had been abandoned and deemed unsafe after the historic 1985 and 2017 earthquakes. Completed in November 2021, and with close to 10800 built up sqm on a 617 sqm plot, the project is a unique example of innovation and an icon of urban recovery and renewal.

The transformation of the old building comprised four fundamental axes: structure and resilience; comfort and functionality; aesthetic and tectonic design; and sustainability, considering both operational and embodied energy. The structure was tampered, ballasted and reattached to fix its 60 cm tilt to the east. Above ground, the shape was regularized to avoid frame distortions during earthquakes. Finally, The existing structure was reinforced utilizing steel bracing and structural dampers. The core was redesign and relocated cantilevered to its eastern side resulting in greater open floors that resulted in more comfortable and greatly improved interior mobility and quality. The tower is designed as a sculptural inhabitable obelisk. The facade gives the tower an illusory quality; it stands out revitalizing, simultaneously blending in with its surrounding, thoughtful and respectful of the site. The project strived to achieve the outmost possible sustainability. The tower is Leed Platinum certified achieving 36.5% in total energy, 56% in artificial lighting, 67% in HVAC and 41% in water savings; additionally, by recycling the structure a 50% reduction in embodied carbon was accomplished. The result is an exemplary transformation of environmental efforts.