The iconic Soumaya Museum and its gleaming steel tiles

The iconic architecture of Museo Soumaya in the heart of Mexico City is a real catalyst for urban and community regeneration, which attracted more than 1 million visitors in the first year after opening thanks to its permanent and temporary exhibitions at all scales

The Soumaya Museum, designed by Fr-ee, houses an art collection of nearly 70,000 works from the period between the 15th and mid-20th centuries, including the second largest collection of sculptures by Auguste Rodin. The design of the museum reflects the desire to create a new cultural institution publicly accessible for all

Located in the heart of a new cultural and commercial district of Mexico City, Plaza Carso, the building, a rhombus rotated the height of 150 feet, supported by 28 curved steel columns of various sizes and shapes, is covered by a skin of 16,000 hexagonal elements in mirrored steel

The cladding is a clear reference to the ceramic tiles used in the traditional colonial facades of Mexico City buildings, and are able to give the Soumaya Museum a different look depending on the weather, the time of day and the viewer’s observation point

The 7-ring structural system creates a continuous 6-level walk through the museum’s exhibition spaces. On the upper level, visitors enter an exhibition hall with no columns and full of natural light. In addition to galleries, the Soumaya Museum includes a 350-seat public auditorium, a library, a restaurant, a gift shop and offices