Torre BBVA México (The Bancomer Tower)

The Torre BBVA México, built and still widely referred to as the BBVA Bancomer Tower, was for but a moment the tallest building in the country. Finished late in 2015 it was officially opened in February of 2016. The Torre Reforma just across the street, opened within a few months, and was, alas, a few meters taller.

On Paseo de la Reforma in the western reaches of the Colonia Juárez, it’s directly in front of the Torre Mayor. At 235 meters up to the heliport, an extra 15 meters of antennas don’t actually add much to the official height. In fact, they’re decorative. The building is also almost connected at the ground level with Metro Chapultepec.

The building boasts some 60 stories at 4.30 meters each, and at 3.7 meters on the seven parking levels. The building’s total floor space is 185,000 square meters which is impressive considering that the entire site is but 11,000 square meters.

• The contract to build the tower was, through a competition in 2009, awarded  to Mexican architect, Ricardo Legorreta and British architect Richard Rogers.
• The cost to build was about US$13,000 per square meter.
• Every ninth floor has a 3-level high common area and garden.
• The building is widely praised, not just for its LEEDS certification, but for innovative floor plans and working areas.
• State-of-the-art air conditioning, lighting, and hydraulic, and sanitary systems mean that the building maximizes its use of the sun, while consuming 33% less water and electricity.
• The Torre BBVA México allowed BBVA Bancomer, the Spanish banking group, to consolidate its Mexico City operations from seven former HQ buildings to this one and just two others. About 4,500 BBVA employees currently occupy the tower.
• 364 weeks (seven years) of construction involved 14.5 million hours of labor by the people who built it.