GSM-SMA Headquarters
GSM-SMA HEADQUARTERS
Sordo Madaleno
LOCATION
Granada, Ciudad de México, Mexico
TYPE
Commercial › Office
The history of Sordo Madaleno encompasses over eight decades of architecture.
Having been based in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood since the 1980s, the steady growth in the size of the teams both at the architecture studio (SMA) and the real estate development firm (GSM) made it necessary to design and build a new headquarters.
Strategically located at one of the most important economic and cultural hubs of Mexico City, the new HQ was designed by our own Interior Design department, taking corporate design to a more challenging level as our own client.
Floors three to five of the Antara II Corporate Offices—itself designed by SMA—are home to the strategically distributed offices of both parts of Sordo Madaleno.
The new working dynamic and the operational transition towards a mid-sized firm of over 300 employees were among the challenges to be addressed, becoming the giding principles of the design.
The intention was that these determinants should not alter the existing work environment, which encourages each employee to appropriate their workspace.
A striking element forms a visual and physical link between the entire office project:a sculptural spiral staircase occupying the triple-height space of the reception area on the entrance floor, connecting to a key double-height space on level 4, intended to exhibit models, projects and a library of architectural materials.
This staircase, intended to expand the functionality of the vertical circulations, was designed with larger dimensions than necessary in order to form a point of encounter and gathering for staff between the three floors of offices.
At the same time, the decision not to include an elevator to the fourth floor ensures the flow and interaction of users on the staircase. The white exterior and black treads and risers are attractive and offer unique perspectives at the different landings.
