Architecture and interior design: FMA.
Architect in charge: Francisco Méndez
Furnishings: on design
Photos: César Belio
Many of the historic buildings in the Mexican city’s center—designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991—are constructed from pink Cantera stone, a hue that characterizes colonial architecture in its merging with Mesoamerican tradition, but also the interiors of Corporativo GO, an office recently completed by architect Francisco Méndez’s studio.
The walls of this 1000 square meter workspace feature a natural, pink, and slightly coarse finish, achieved by regenerating and refunctionalizing an existing space within a former 17th-century convent. The primary intention was, of course, to highlight the original architectural elements, while also reviewing the more or less appropriate alterations that have occurred over the centuries.
Equally important was the redesign of traditional workspaces according to the needs and activities of the company.The designers envisioned a nearly domestic landscape with flexible organization of various workstations and functions, in addition to a range of amenities. The first is near the entrance on the ground floor—an outdoor dining area created in the cloister and shaded by five orange trees integrated into the furniture with tables and seating.
Further along, distributed throughout the main floor, is a reading area that doubles as a reception and lounge, a zone dedicated to work breaks with a bar, seating, TV, and ping pong table, and finally the Nest, a small room for meditation and introspection. The more ‘conventional’ workspaces feature long, wide shared tables or are divided into smaller cubicles.
With an approach focused on the physical and mental well-being of individuals to enhance performance and creativity in an inviting and calm environment, the project incorporates a lighting system that adapts to the circadian cycle, large windows that ensure sound and thermal insulation, plants suitable for regulating the interior temperature, and a warm, earthy color palette that is as pervasive as it is enveloping. The pink typical of the city’s architecture blends with oak wood, with a natural finish for the furnishings and bleached for the flooring.
