The expansion and remodelling of the Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City by Taller and Mauricio Rocha has been crowned the winner of the 2023 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP).
The expansion was completed in 2021 and acted originally as the studio of Mexican artist Diego Rivera. It houses Rivera’s collection of pre-Hispanic art and hosts regular contemporary exhibitions.
Described as a “contemporary interpretation” by Taller and Mauricio Rocha, the project references the volcanic landscape of Mexico City and the Pedregal de San Ángel neighbourhood.
It adds storage, a workshop and offices across three new buildings that are linked via a walkway to the original museum.
The museum was designed by Juan O’Gorman and Heriberto Pagelson.
Sandra Barclay, the jury chair, said: “At the same time, the project radically transforms the complex, revealing the qualities of the ecological reserve that contains it and creating a dynamic space open to the community.
“The extension offers the community an unexpected experience that connects them to the place and its roots and generates a sense of belonging for the user and the visitor.”
Mauricio Rocha, the designer of the Anahuacalli expansion, will receive $50,000 in funding toward research and the development of a publication as well as the MCHAP Chair of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology’s (IIT) College of Architecture.
The Anahuacalli Museum was announced as the winner of the competition of the biennial Americas Prize, which crowns the best built work in the Americas completed between December 2018 and June 2021.
Six finalists were announced for the competition in February 2023.
