Torre Reforma

Torre Reforma is one of the newest and most innovative skyscrapers to climb into the Reforma/Chapultepec skyline. It’s right next to the Torre Mayor and across Paseo de la Reforma from the Torre BBVA México.

At a height of 246 meters, it’s got 57 floors. It’s generally spoken of as one of the most advanced and “smart” of buildings. This one is, even more importantly, said to be capable of withstanding an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude.

Mexican architect Benjamín Romano and LBR&A Arquitectos were in charge of construction that began in 2008 and finished in 2016.

• The tower opened a public viewing platform on top, easily the highest in the city. But there are five other levels of shops and restaurants, plus the Mac store out front.
• It’s said that due to the tower’s vertical shape, it doesn’t cast a shadow on its neighbors for more than about 25 minutes a day.
• The building also produces its own energy, with both solar panels and a wind power generation system near the top. It even has a system to generate electricity from the energy produced by draining water from top to bottom.
• The building collects rainwater, and reuses almost all water.
• Windows are automatically opened each morning so that the building breathes in cooler air and exhales warmer air.
• The underground parking levels have space for more than 1,000 vehicles and relies on a robotic system to park cars, reducing the amount of space and ventilation needed.

While the Torre Reforma’s “brutalist” eastern facade leaves lots of questions, its other two faces open the building up to a lot to look at. And from inside, there’s a lot to see.