CemNet.com online magazine—“home of International Cement Review” reported that ISCP Member CEMEX, expects to supply over 27,000 m3 (35,315 y3) of special concrete for the renovation of 15 streets in Zona Rosa, a vibrant area in Mexico City. Zona Rosa is a busy, tourist and business-entertainment district located in Colonia Juárez, near the center of some of Mexico City’s major streets—including Insurgentes Avenue, Paseo de la Reforma, and Chapultepec Avenue. It is filled with hotels, dance clubs, restaurants, bars, and live bands. Mexico City’s financial heart is also here, with the Mexican Stock Exchange building, and the recently built 35-story HSBC building among other banks, next to the Angel de la Independencia.
The area’s entrance, the formerly wealthy Colonia Juarez was once the grande dame of Mexico City neighborhoods and historic center. It is guarded by two of the city’s landmark skyscrapers—Torre Mayor and Torre Bancomer—and is now making a long-awaited comeback, with new restaurants, bars and art galleries. The area is also home to classic cantinas unchanged since the 1920s, and to some of the city’s most exciting theatre, cabaret, multi-disciplinary performance spaces, varieties of food, and first cocktail bar. Also, Café La Habana opened in 1952 and is said to be where Fidel Castro and Che Guevara planned the Cuban revolution.
Up until the 21st century, the only part of the Juárez neighborhood that received any attention was the Zona Rosa, sitting just above the popular Roma area of the capital. The area is changing as developers are now spotting the potential of Colonia Juárez, pumping investment into improving its culinary, cultural and nightlife scenes, and bringing back the once-grand reputation of this area of the city. The renovation project will promote the economic development of the area and the rest of Mexico City.
Due to the area’s high vehicular and pedestrian traffic, the project posed a significant challenge for the companies involved in the construction. Replacing the existing pavement with concrete solutions, eliminating bumps and imperfections in the roads, required replacing the drainage installation and relocating the entire fibre optic network. Alejandro Vares, Vice President of Sales to Infrastructure and Government-Cemex Mexico said, “Our participation in projects that improve the quality of life for all Mexicans is one of our strongest motivations. We are confident that once the renovation of Zona Rosa is completed, thousands of people will benefit from this significant improvement.”
To enhance Zona Rosa’s appearance, Cemex developed architectural concrete pavements of integral color and a special design for the sidewalks, featuring a hammered non-slip finish to ensure increased pedestrian safety. Several of the roads under construction have recently been opened to the public, and it is expected that new streets will be opened during August. According to the local authorities, the renovation is expected to be completed fully in December 2017.
To read the article “Iconic area in Mexico City renovated with Cemex concrete”, please go to: https://www.cemnet.com/News/story/162247/iconic-area-in-mexico-city-renovated-with-cemex-concrete.html#prettyPhoto
Some copy from “Mexico City’s grandest neighborhood is back in vogue”, on the life of Zona Rosa: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/may/03/mexico-city-colonia-juarez-regeneration-bars-restaurants and from “Colonia Juárez: Mexico City’s Neighborhood Revolution”: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/colonia-juarez-mexico-citys-neighborhood-revolution/.
Home page photo: Angel de la Independencia and
Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City, courtesy of emaze