Rogers designs 50-storey skyscraper in Mexico City

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) has been commissioned to design a 221m-high tower for finance giant BBVA Bancomer in Mexico City.

The British architect has partnered with Mexican firm Legoretta + Legoretta to design the 50-storey skyscraper at the gateway to Paseo de la Reforma, the city's main avenue.

Images released by the client show a latticed facade with outdoor gardens at every ninth level. The building is expected to be complete in 2013, providing approximately 78,600m² of office space for BBVA Bancomer's 4,500 employees in Mexico City.

Lord Rogers, the chairman of RSH+P, said: “The form of this building is based on a rethinking of conventional approaches to office space. The design creates a new hierarchy of vertical communities or 'villages' with open areas where staff and visitors can meet and enjoy spectacular views across the city.

“It will also serve as a landmark building that provides a clear link between Chapultepec Park and the Paseo de la Reforma. The highly sustainable design incorporates a facade which draws on the heritage of Mexican architecture; the result is a reinterpretation of the distinctive texture of traditional 'celosia' screens.”

Arup and Colinas de Buen are collaborating on the structure of the building, which will need to be engineered to withstand ground movement in an area prone to earthquakes.