Enrique Norten VISIoNARY MASTER
Enrique Norten, Hon. FAIA Founded TEN Arquitectos, 1986 Born and raised in Mexico City, Enrique Norten began his formal study of architecture at the Universidad Iberoamericana, in Mexico City, where he earned his first professional degree in 1978. He obtained his Master s degree in architecture from Cornell University in 1980. Mr. Norten founded TEN Arquitectos [Taller de Enrique Norten Arquitectos] in 1986, where he currently serves as principal. As of 2001, he has opened another location in New York. In 2013, Enrique Norten was recognized with an Honorary Mention in the Bienal de Arquitectura de la Ciudad de México for Mercedes House and the Commemorative Park of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla. He also received a Project Merit Award by the AIA-NY for The New York Public Library. In 2011 he earned the International Award by the Society of American Registered Architects [SARA], for his distinguished work in the institutional, academic and/or professional field. In 2010 He was recognized with the Calli de cristal Award by the Architects Association of Nuevo León for his extensive professional experience. In February 2008, he was presented with the Excellence in Architecture & Design Award by PODER - Boston Consulting Group Business Awards. In 2007 he obtained the Legacy Award by the Smithsonian Institution for his contributions to American arts and culture. In 2005, he received the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts by the World Cultural Council and was the first Mies van der Rohe Award recipient for Latin American Architecture in 1998. Mr. Norten is a board member of the America s Society and he currently holds the Miller Chair at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.
Enrique Norten Visionary master
Mercedes House NEW YORK, NY, 2011 Located at the Western edge of Midtown Manhattan, the Mercedes House mixed use development occupies more than half of a city block, comprising a total of 1.3 million square feet of commercial and residential programs. The building integrates multiple commercial uses at the base and provides 27 floors of housing above. The overall massing of the project slopes up and away from De Witt Clinton Park, starting at 86 feet along 11th Avenue and climbing up to 328 feet at the middle of the block. This height transition successfully reconciles two very dissimilar urban scales: the flat, horizontal one of the park, located to the West of 11th Avenue and the vertical one, of the windowless telephone switching tower to the east of the site. Each floor steps up from the one below, allowing for unobstructed views to the park and the Hudson River and providing private roof terraces with green roofs on every floor. A varied treatment of street walls and interior facades makes reference to the historic court spaces of New York City housing. The design of the project capitalizes on the site s through-block condition and its spectacular views to De Witt Clinton Park and the Hudson River. In an attempt to keep the projects mass both away from the park and off of the narrow side streets, the design presents a totally unique design resolution for Manhattan. The building s mirrored structure introduces the creation of two courtyards, a sun bathed pool garden to the South and a shaded activities court to the North.
Enrique Norten Visionary master
Paseo Concorida 5 de Mayo Puebla, Mexico TEN Arquitectos proposed to reinterpret the traditional concept of monument as a public space, thus winning the competition to design the iconic monument of the Battle of Puebla - 5 de mayo. Set in Los Fuertes, an area located almost on top of the hill with an exquisite view of the city of Puebla, the project aims to create a dialogue between the city and its inhabitants. TEN Arquitectos proposed 3 covered places to revive the use of public space in the area, also, the design took advantage of the existing topography as well as the stunning views. The square opens to the city, arising from the deliberate elevation of the existing level; open spaces and winding wrapped areas are created through the unfolding of the undulated sheet of wood. The first interstice becomes a multi use gallery; its top creates an open amphitheater for events of different kinds. On another part of the plaza, lies a playroom designed for the amusement of children and the elderly. The third gap created by the undulated wooden plaza turns is a cafeteria and, as it reaches the highest point of the place, its top emerges also as a viewpoint. Doing homage, the plaza symbolizes one of the most important historical moments in Mexican history: 150 trees were located throughout the square, representing the anniversary years of the Battle of 5 de Mayo; the location responds to the need of shade for the users comfort and determined the location of the vegetation. The light poles reflect the number of battalions that fought, while its location is strategically set to point out where the most important battles occurred. As a result, the monument becomes an unexpected public space, a viewpoint for the entire city and a place that promotes a social and cultural exchange.
Enrique Norten Visionary master
Rutgers Business School Piscataway, NJ, 2009 Precisely as it was designed, the 150,000 square foot Rutgers Business School welcomes Rutgers University s Livingston Campus in Piscataway, New Jersey. The L-shaped formed building spans 60 feet above Rockafeller Road, becoming the highest circulation gate of all campus. The building is part of an impulse project, in keeping with the goals of the master plan towards a high density campus development with urban facilities, shared amenities and a walkable campus. Similarly, this building reflects the ongoing shift in higher education away from a classroom oriented focus towards one on one collaboration spaces. The building is divided in three fringes: classroom, office and public spaces, vertically connected by an atrium and horizontally stitched by a variety of scales. All of which are connected to communal spaces ranging from the personal nook to the collective and communal areas. Moreover, professors are located at the heart of the School within easy reach of their students, becoming not only research and informative resources but also active collaborators for the dynamic evolution of ideas happening within the school. The Business School, like every new construction at Rutgers University, is LEED Silver equivalent. The building is powered by solar panels and through the geothermal borefield, built below the quad. Furthermore, all storm water is managed through bioswales and retention ponds on site. The atrium allows high levels of day-lighting into the building while the mechanical system is optimized for lower energy usage. Low VOC materials and specialized carpet tiles enhance the air quality, as well.