Introducing a vibrant 21st century innovation ecosystem into an urban campus
Tecnol贸gico de Monterrey: Mexico City Campus Master Plan
A new innovation district provides a platform for allied industries to be co-located with the Tec, establishing a social anchor in the district, framed by a dynamic mix of uses such as research, housing, and a magnet high school
Following the devastating 2017 earthquake in Mexico City, when all but one out of eleven campus buildings were irreparably damaged, Tecnol贸gico de Monterrey embraced the opportunity to completely reinvent itself and transform its urban context.
Located along one of Mexico City鈥檚 major subway lines with proximity to the largest, yet landlocked, medical treatment and research cluster in Latin America, Tec de Monterrey is presented with the ideal environment to advance its institutional mission. An integrated planning process was set in motion, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to create a vibrant 21st century innovation ecosystem in the district by leveraging the Tec鈥檚 34 hectares (84 acres) of land as a catalyst for regeneration and investment.
Following the 2017 earthquake, Tec leadership embarked on a journey to reinvent and re-engage with its context.聽 Through strategic acquisitions, it almost doubled its landholdings in the district, totaling over 34 hectares
Current campus gateway, anchored by the Library and Aulas, enriches student life within the heart of the academic core and the university
The academic core landscape, resembling a forest, serves as a versatile area where both students and faculty can relax, engage in recreational activities, and focus on their studies
A Master Plan for Regeneration
Monterrey Tec, with an extraordinary and continuously expanding influence across the spectrum of Mexican education and society, is poised to become a leader in stimulating urban and economic regeneration and prove the power of Latin American universities as engines of innovation and entrepreneurship.
The plan creates a new paradigm for how a Latin American university can reinforce connections between academia, industry, and government, with a multi-helix approach to the innovation economy, where the community and larger society are more involved in, and benefit from innovation activities and urban regeneration
The connections between academia, industry and community are supported by a robust public realm network that benefits the entire district and city
The Master Plan for the Tec鈥檚 Mexico City Campus captures our ambition to rethink the relationship of the university to the surrounding urban setting; to make a new kind of contribution to the city, and to the country as a whole, and to rethink the nature of higher education in Mexico.
The connections between academia, industry and community are supported by a robust public realm network that benefits the entire district and city
The framework leverages connections to the subway and surrounding neighborhoods, with a range of uses including housing, a high-school, community facilities, an innovation hub and spaces for allied industries to be located in close proximity to the Tec鈥檚 academic core
In the academic core, the plan creates a unified learning environment that encourages project-based learning and interdisciplinary collaboration. New academic buildings break down silos between departments and promote engagement between departments, such as the Medical and Engineering Schools, that leverage the proximity of the Tec with the neighboring medical cluster.
A focus on health and wellness is translated into a new state of the art recreation center located in a new campus gateway, that serves both the university and surrounding community, and integrates amenities such as a community clinic and nutrition center. Student housing, cultural facilities, hotel and shared workplace/office uses underpin a holistic learning environment.
The plan establishes an interconnected landscape network that connects all the Tec landholdings through a park-like spine, tying together the academic core, a new mixed-use innovation district and the university鈥檚 outdoor recreation fields
The vertical stacking of wellness programs creates a health-centered dynamic hub for both the university and surrounding district. Its location on the edge of the campus facilitates access to the outside community and sends a clear message of the Tec鈥檚 commitment to provide a positive contribution to the city
Adjacent to the academic core and on land owned by the university, a new innovation district provides a platform for allied industries to be co-located with the Tec. An interconnected open space network consisting of shaded sidewalks, bike lanes and a large public urban park provides the neighborhood with much needed outdoor sports fields, playgrounds and gathering places. Anchored by a Tec-driven Innovation Hub, the district also boasts a dynamic mixed-use program of research, workplace, housing, a magnet high school and other community amenities that support livability and a healthy lifestyle.
The public urban park is complemented by an interconnected open space network consisting of shaded sidewalks, bike lanes, and gathering places that promote serendipitous encounters between the researchers, students, faculty, residents and the larger community
The new campus gateway is framed by the Medical School and Wellness Hub. The hub includes a community clinic where medical students provide services and workshops for free to surrounding neighborhoods, helping advance the Tec鈥檚 social agenda
Now being implemented, the resulting plan is an inspiring vision that fosters collaboration and entrepreneurship, facilitates the rapid growth of research partnerships and stimulates engaged learning, all while re-engaging the university with its neighborhood and the larger Mexico City in an integrated, sustainable design approach.
For more information contact Victor Eskinazi or Dennis Pieprz.
