Esfera City Center will appear in Monterrey, the third largest city in the country, experiencing rapid growth in the 21st century. Initially, the customer planned to build 12 residential towers on the site, but Hadid's bureau offered an alternative: mid-rise and high-density development, and this option was quite satisfactory for the developer.
At the same time, the rectangular plot will be built up on three sides, and the free space will be occupied by public areas of varying degrees of privacy. The architects used the principles of crime prevention through design (CPTED) in the design: the territory of the complex will be attractive for residents and pedestrians, and the constant presence of people will make it "inconvenient" for criminals. Therefore, there is no need to separate the massif from the surrounding space with a fence, which will allow it to fit into the environment - the commercial center of the new urban area in the Uahuko gorge.
The complex takes into account the context: it faces the federal highway with a homogeneous facade, and at the same time is open to low-rise residential buildings with low density, which occupies the territory on the other side up to the foothills of the mountains.
The walls of the gorge make the microclimate softer than in the city center, and open spaces there can be used more often and for longer than the architects took advantage of. In addition to the aforementioned courtyard-park with a club, a chapel, spaces for sports, games and quiet recreation, an amphitheater and a workshop, the residents have access to common areas-terraces with pools and barbecue areas.
But the main feature of the project is the balconies, which are supplied to almost all of the 981 apartments in the complex. They shape its individual appearance, help to shade the apartments (for the sake of efficient performance of this function, each of them received an individual form), protect residents from prying eyes.
The hulls take into account the angle of incidence of the sun's rays and the prevailing wind directions; shading and natural ventilation made it possible to provide apartment owners with the comfort of the house, on the balconies and in the courtyard of the premises.
The residential complex with 981 apartments (total area approx. 137,000 m2) will be implemented in 3 stages; the first is planned to be commissioned in 2018. Among the apartments are dominated by housing with one or two bedrooms and an area of 80–99 and 100–120 m2, respectively. There are also lofts (45-50 m2) and spacious apartments with three (120-140 m2) and four (140-165 m2) bedrooms.
