MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (1975)
On the outskirts of Mexico City, the Center for Applied Computer Research offers advanced computer programming services to public agencies and private organizations. As the flag- ship corporate headquarters, the building establishes the site's primary reference point. Because Mexico City and its surroundings are built on the landfilled site of an ancient system of canals, the building is designed to float within a large water basin, which drains the soil and thereby prevents foundation problems. To take full a vantage of this basin, the building’s office/workspaces are designed as barges that float freely until secured in place. Behind the design of this environment is the premise that nobody should have to work. At worst, one would work home and not need a large building but rather a small one to simply house a computer and receive messages. The building has been conceived, therefore, as a set of elements that can be progressively reconfigured and recombined as the needs of the office vary over time. Ultimately, barges can be removed as the need for on-site space diminishes. Only the silent walls leaning upon one another like the traditional walls of a Mayan temple and a single barge, turned into an island of flowers, would remain.
