Tulum, Mexico is no stranger to the shifting weather patterns that are being
seen around the world. Like many other parts of the world, the popular vacation
destination — located on the Yucatán Peninsula — is experiencing a growing
number of tropical storms and
hurricanes due to
climate change, which cause all of the city’s transport to grind to a halt.
But the prospect of stopping all transport operations during extreme weather
events isn’t feasible long term. To deal with these increasingly frequent
conditions, Mexico City-based architecture firm Aidia
Studio has revealed a much-needed, future-proof
upgrade to Tulum’s train station. The structure, designed to withstand the
climatic changes, also prioritizes sustainability and user experience whilst
infusing elements of pre-Hispanic Mayan design.
“Currently, when a hurricane hits, all transport operations are ground to a
halt; and depending on the strength, people may need to be evacuated and the
physical infrastructure secured,” Rolando Rodriguez-Leal, the studio's
founder, told Sustainable Brands. “We needed to design the station in such a
way that it resists the fury and strength of very strong winds, whilst at the
same time ensuring the design and operations have a minimal impact on the
environment.”
Therefore, Aidia Studio’s indigenous-inspired design elements — which more and more forward-thinking designers are turning back to wisdom when it comes to climate-resilient design — are a much-needed,
evolutionary twist on current architecture that will help ensure the survival of
Mexico’s transport links.
“The station is designed as an open-air facility, glazed only at strategic
locations to shelter from the rain,” Rodriguez-Leal says. “It aims to let as
much breeze and airflow through the halls and platforms as possible.” This
aerodynamic geometry, reminiscent of traditional Mayan geometric patterns, is an
effective way to organically cool the station without the need for mechanical
ventilation; the roof will suction in a breeze and channel it through the main
hall creating a natural passage for air — a critical design element, with
heatwaves also expected to increase in the Yucatán
Peninsula.
Image credit: Aidia Studio
The aerodynamic design also provides a high level of resilience to hurricanes:
“Our design has little resistance to the high-force winds of a hurricane; and
so, any possible damage to the station is minimized,” Rodriguez-Leal added.
Aidia Studio wanted to ensure that the station does not interfere with Tulum’s
unspoilt surroundings, taking up as little space as possible in the landscape —
the station is 200m long, but the bulk of functions (including a mezzanine with
restaurants and shops) are concentrated at the center, giving the station its
characteristic oval shape as seen from above.
Rodriguez-Leal says user experience was also central to the design process: “We
wanted to focus on the user, crafting an intuitive experience defined by the
uniqueness of the surroundings and its natural beauty.” Tying into Tulum’s
heavenly charms, the station aims to evoke a sensory experience for the user,
mimicking elements of pre-Hispanic and colonial cities.
“Throughout the Yucatán peninsula, in both pre-Hispanic and colonial cities such
as Mérida or Valladolid, there is a wonderful, centuries-old tradition
which includes the use of limestone and the manipulation of light through
screens or celosías for intimacy and shade,” Rodriguez-Leal explains. This
inspiration can clearly be seen throughout the aesthetics of the station and
through the manipulation of light, shadows and patterns, with the roof mimicking
Mayan carvings and sculptures. “We have curated each journey through the
station, aiming to create a poetic experience using light, shadows, use of
materials, vegetation and textures.”
For the rendering of the walls, floors and ceilings, the station will use chukum
tree resin as a binder; the resin will be mixed with the fine sand of limestone
to create a rendering mix with waterproof properties, Rodriguez-Leal told us.
“We have also embraced the use of tropical woods from renewable sources to add
warmth and texture to the space.”
Making adaptions to current architecture and building design is crucial as the
world prepares for climate change. Rodriguez-Leal hopes that the Tulum Train
Station — construction of which is set to
begin in
January 2022 and should be complete by end of 2023 — will inspire and promote
the use of sustainable technologies and passive design strategies in future
infrastructure projects.
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Scarlett Buckley is a London-based freelance sustainability writer with an MSc in Creative Arts & Mental Health.
Published Sep 16, 2021 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST