Holcim Awards 2021/22

Sustainability is of paramount importance in construction

Hydropuncture in Mexico

Publicly-accessible water retention and treatment complex

  • 1 / 5

    Global finalist entry 2018 – Hydropuncture

    Located on the hillside of Sierra Santa Catarina, the site directly serves 28,000 inhabitants in urgent need of recreational spaces and water. By removing the borders and placing a transparent permeable fence, the place becomes a sustainable water management landmark located in an important crossroads. It fosters street life by adopting Paraíso Street and turning it into a shared mobility thoroughfare with commerce, reducing crime in what the community detected as the most dangerous street in the area.

  • 2 / 5

    Global LafargeHolcim Awards 2018 prize handover

    Congratulating the Global LafargeHolcim Awards Gold 2018 winners (l-r): Rodolfo Montero, CEO of Holcim Mexico; winners Loreta Castro Reguera, Taller Capital and Manuel Perló, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM); with members of the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation Roland Köhler, Enrique Norten, and Maria Atkinson

  • 3 / 5

    Global LafargeHolcim Awards Gold 2018 – Site Visit, Mexico City

    The local government is pushing for the publicly accessible water park project to be completed soon.

  • 4 / 5

    Global finalist entry 2018 – Hydropuncture

    The rainwater mirror lies at the center of the park. This venue is intended to transform from dry-scape to waterscape along the year.

  • 5 / 5

    Global LafargeHolcim Awards Gold 2018 – Site Visit, Mexico City

    The water treatment basins are ready, the buildings and landscaping to complete the section are still ongoing.

  • Gold2015 - 2016
    Awards Gold 2015 - 2016 Global
  • Silver2018 - 2019
    Awards Silver 2018 - 2019 Middle East Africa
The project proposes the reintegration of a roadway and a river through a new green infrastructure that incorporates multi-modal transportation and public recreation.

Last updated: September 30, 2020

By Manuel Perlo, Loreta castro Reguera and

Topics: Green architecture · Circular economy · Sustainable engineering · Innovation and transferability · Social inclusion · Resource management · Economic viability · Architectural quality

Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace was a pioneering model of urban green infrastructure from the 1880s that has been fragmented by elevated highways built in the last century. This urban operation restores the Charlesgate green area as a critical link in Boston’s regional park system across 1km of new shared-use pathways, over 20km of reconnected greenway and 300m of restored shoreline.

The requalification of the area includes new pathways and mobility connections that also enable roadway viaduct maintenance access for lift and vacuum truck, public areas with rain gardens for roadway water runoff storage and treatment, as well as habitat for pollinators. The river’s edge is reshaped to protect from floods, reduce erosion, and provide riparian habitat for animal and plant species. The involvement of actors from the public and private sectors ensures the economic viability of the project.

Hydropuncture in Mexico

Project Authors

Sustainability Statements

Balancing regional infrastructure with ecology and local urban life

This project recovers Charlesgate for people and natural systems after it was enshadowed and fractured by elevated roads for a generation. Pathways are designed to double-function for equipment access (lift and vacuum trucks) for viaduct maintenance and repair. Rain-gardens in recreation areas treat roadway runoff, store floodwater and create pollinator habitat. The rivers edge is reshaped to protect from floods, and also provide public access and riparian species habitat. The design utilizes standard material palettes of the involved public agencies (transportation, parks and water) in unexpected ways to allow for easy co-maintenance. By integrating considerations of infrastructure, natural systems and public realm, there is sustainability through shared use, maintenance and investment.