CETRAM Observatorio

CETRAM Observatorio is a concept proposal for a multimodal interchange located next to the Observatorio station of the El Insurgente Interurban Train in Mexico City. The project encompasses a total built area of 16,200 sqm and seeks to integrate the different transportation systems converging in this part of the city.

The proposal responds to the public transport station and the metropolitan connections associated with the interurban train, the Metro system, public transportation services, and bus terminals. In addition to supporting transfers between these systems, the project incorporates retail, public space, landscape, and accessible connections to the adjacent neighborhoods.

The main challenge was to organize a highly complex operational environment shaped by the convergence of multiple transportation modes and substantial pedestrian flows. The proposal needed to establish clear and accessible routes, reduce potential conflicts between users, and transform the interchange into an urban space capable of providing services, gathering areas, and connections to its surroundings.

The concept organizes an outdoor plaza as the central space of the development. The plaza connects the retail units, supports social activity, and operates as a distribution point for the different transportation systems. Its configuration seeks to turn the interchange into more than a place of transit by incorporating spaces for gathering, waiting, and everyday public life.

The plaza connects to an urban park proposed on the existing embankment. The park acts as an extension of the interchange’s public realm and as a connection between the CETRAM and the surrounding neighborhoods. Its layout takes advantage of the site’s topography to incorporate vegetation, pedestrian routes, and places for rest.

Accessibility is one of the proposal’s fundamental principles. The park and the different levels of the complex are connected through a network of ramps, stairs, and an elevator. The ramps are conceived not only as functional infrastructure but also as the intervention’s primary architectural element.

Their layout connects the project’s key destinations, organizes pedestrian movement, and gives the complex a recognizable identity. Accessible circulation therefore becomes part of the architectural expression rather than being treated as a secondary or independent component.

The proposal also incorporates conceptual measures for reforestation, the rehabilitation of adjacent streets, and pedestrian lighting. These interventions are intended to improve continuity between the interchange and its surroundings, strengthen the legibility of pedestrian routes, and contribute to a safer walking experience.

AKURAT was responsible for the architectural authorship and conceptual development of the proposal. Its participation included the overall site-planning strategy, the organization of pedestrian flows, the integration of the retail and public-space components, and the concept design of the accessible connections between the interchange, the park on the existing embankment, and the adjacent neighborhoods.