The Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Culiacán—part of one of the largest private university systems in Mexico—commissioned us to design a new biotechnology park building intended to serve as a bridge between academic and business environments in the state of Sinaloa.
Sinaloa is renowned for its agricultural production, and the university envisioned a building that could integrate academic research and student projects with the development of new technologies in the professional sector, providing space for corporate involvement.
The building’s design conceptualizes the relationship between academia and industry as a growing tree. The “roots” of the structure house the university-related program, while the professional functions rise above, like the branches of the tree. Reflecting the needs of this type of facility, the program was translated into open, geometric spaces. Each level operates independently, both technologically and aesthetically, with specific sustainable systems. In essence, each component “produces” something that helps the building function autonomously.
We were asked to design a flexible, predominantly rectangular space, so we opted for identical floors that are shifted according to the interior program and sun-shading requirements. However, one floor was rotated 180 degrees, as it houses the building’s most critical function: the accelerator and incubator, where students have access to office space and receive support from the university to refine and scale their businesses into profitable ventures. This floor also features a distinctive façade treatment, serving as a sunshade designed in collaboration with young artists Rodolfo Díaz and Marco Rountree.
