CDMX AIRPORT CANCELED BY AMLO WINS INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARD

1288

The great project by Peña Nieto (NAIM), canceled by AMLO, won an international architecture award. The jury valued that the unfinished work of Fernando Romero and Norman Foster “is a continuous, almost aerodynamic membrane”.

The design took the 2021 award, despite the project being canceled. 

The New, Mexico International Airport (NAIM) in Texcoco, canceled byAMLO as he came to power, won the Prize  RFT (Rethinking The Future) Architecture, Construction and Design 2021.

The organizers recognized this project in the category “transport”, highlighting the creativity of its concept. The unfinished work was led by renowned architects Fernando Romero and Norman Foster. “The building is a  continuous, almost aerodynamic membrane, which allows each visitor to flow quickly and efficiently “, the jury valued.

These recognitions are awarded to projects that show excellence and innovation in architecture and design. This year, more than 1,400 registrations were received from more than 50 countries, covering the categories of architecture, landscaping, urban design, product design, and interior design. And the NAIM was one of the 48 winners.

In 2014, the federal government launched an international competition inviting interested parties to participate in the development of what was intended to be the largest infrastructure in Latin America, as promoted by then-President  Enrique Peña Nieto.

The goal was to revolutionize airport design and the travel experience, creating a building and infrastructure that would not only function during the 21st century, but would also become an icon for Mexico over time.

The intense colors, characteristic of Mexican culture, seep into the functional components of the smart membrane of the building’s façade. The Mesoamerican symbol of the sun is evoked within the central hall. 

Enrique Peña Nieto went IN 2017 to the place where the New Airport was being built to supervise the progress, in the company of the architects’ Norman Foster and Fernando Romero, designers of the work. 

“SOURCE OF INSPIRATION”

“The FR-EE (Fernando Romero Enterprise) + Foster team has adopted a truly holistic and exceptionally context-based approach, designing a new model that will be the source of inspiration for the airports of the future,” indicates the publication of the Awards. RFT.

In addition, it stands out as a necessary and important investment for the future of the country, the new Mexico City Airport is a unique terminal that is designed to minimize costs and maximize the experience, they say.

In the text that accompanies the award note, it is not mentioned that the project was canceled.

But the truth is that, in October 2018, AMLO, in his capacity as president-elect, determined its cancellation through a popular consultation that was highly questioned, but which he defended tooth and nail because it was the “decision of the people”. He had also singled it out as a work that was riddled with corruption.

NAIM’s cancellation cost 232% more than AMLO had promised

The cancellation of the New International Airport OF Mexico (NAIM) cost US$16 billion, 232% more than expected by the López Obrador administration, said the Superior Audit of the Federation (ASF).

At the beginning of the six-year term, the government estimated that canceling the construction of the airport in Texcoco would cost US$5 billion, however, to date the difference reaches US$ 11 billion, a figure that could increase further, since there have not been Identified, nor quantified, the additional costs for the settlement of pending contracts, nor lawsuits nor lawsuits filed.

“It was identified that these factors may cause an increase in the estimated cost of the cancellation of the NAICM, so it is necessary for the GACM to constantly monitor them, in order to identify the total cost that will be incurred with the cancellation of the project ”, said the ASF.

According to the agency, the SCT did not consider the implications derived from the financing scheme defined for construction, not the legal costs involved.

“It was identified that the total cost of the cancellation of the NAIM estimated by the ASF of US$16 billion, is higher than the cost of US$5 billion calculated by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT), in the document ‘Reasons for the cancellation of the New Airport project in Texcoco’ published on April 26, 2019, ‘”said the ASF.

Of the total costs of the aerodrome, US$8 billion (49.3%), were for expenses already incurred in 2019, including non-recoverable expenses of the investment made between 2014 and 2018, for US$3 billion. Added to this is the early termination of contracts and agreements, acquisitions and services for US$370 million.

Regarding legal costs derived from the cancellation, the figure amounts to US$24 million, in addition to US$8 billion for additional costs for pending obligations for the settlement of all the bonds issued, pending contracts of liquidating, lawsuits, and lawsuits in process

Source: mexico-now.com, m-x.com.mx

Mexico Daily News