2014 Umbral de las Américas

DANIEL DAOU DESIGN

“Umbral de las Américas” border crossing (Tijuana, México, 2014)

The competition called to design a public space at the border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana—the world’s most active. Our proposal considered the restoration of the Río Grande by substituting the large upstream dam with a series of smaller dams along the causeway. At the competition site, a public plaza rests on top of an artificial wetland serving both as landscape infrastructure and public space. A fold and a cut on the ground plane accommodate a space for the immigrant support center the brief requested.

Rio Grande corridor from Abelardo Rodríguez dam (east) to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (west). The site is the 12th crossing point along this corridor, and the last point where filtering water would be possible.

Comparison between Mexico City’s Zócalo square (right) and project site in Tijuana (left).

Luciano Fontana’s slit canvas “Spatial Concept” (1967)

Project team: Gabriel Morales, Daniel Daou