LA VENTA, MEXICO (1993)
Located on the far outskirts of Mexico City, the region of La Venta contains a man-planted forest of pine trees, once used for paper production and now abandoned. Mr. Ambasz was commissioned to develop an architectural concept for La Venta which would maintain the very nature of this forest, while providing development income to fund its preservation and that of its surrounding woodlands. A series of nurseries was designed as stepped or sloping terraces, covering the roof of an office building below. The income from these offices then can be used to help finance the continual future preservation of the forest. The office buildings blend completely into the existing forest landscape, as the heights of each new structure seek to match the surrounding tree canopy. Positioned on the downhill slopes of the site, the buildings are invisible from the highway, as well as fully insulated from the sound of the highway's traffic.
