TEN Arquitectos

In the years since its 1985 founding, the architectural firm TEN (Taller de Enrique Norten) Arquitectos has altered not only the face of Mexico City but also the international perception of Mexican architecture. This monograph features twenty-one buildings and projects. The chronological presentation offers an analysis of the development of TEN Arquitectos; it also emphasizes the partners' view of each design as both culmination and departure, every project informing those to come. Among the completed buildings, almost all in Mexico City, are two major projects for TELEVISA, the largest television network in Mexico; the spectacular National School of Theater; commercial and retail projects; and a series of remarkable private residences. Also included are the firm's first projects in the United States. Three essays provide a context for the firm's practice. Terence Riley discusses the work of Norten and Gomez-Pimienta in relation to other practitioners of their generation, concentrating on the themes of lightness, movement, and information technology. Richard Ingersoll explores the role Mexican - and architectural - tradition plays for the partners. And Michael Sorkin (who has collaborated with the architects on a project for Los Olivos Park in Mexico City) suggests ten forms of expression characteristic of TEN Arquitectos.