Liverpool Toluca

Liverpool is a chain of department stores with over 100 outlets throughout Mexico. In 2015, they opened a new location in Toluca, which became one of the most iconic commercial buildings in the surrounding area of Mexico City.

For their new location in Toluca, they wanted a unique, "stand-out" façade. To complement the organic design of the building, Liverpool Toluca searched for a material that would suit the complex geometry of the project and, in turn, would create a sustainable, protective "casing" for the building.

In an interview with Billy Springall from Studio Springall + Lira Arquitectos, the architect talks about the challenge of the Liverpool Toluca facade. In response to the design created by Springall + Lira, Grupo Basica® provided both design and installation consultation for the avant-garde facade which appears to move before your very eyes. The Fundermax envelope solution was 100% customized for this particular project.

As stated by Billy Springall, the architect, the client wanted a façade with the warmth and textural appeal of wood that would complement the curves of the design. For this reason, they opted for a high-pressure phenolic resin composite material that, within its wide range of colors and finishes, offered an option that emulated wood. They also looked for material with extreme weather resistance and good flexibility, which is why they chose the high-pressure laminate, as it not only resists impacts but can also bend to adapt to the geometry of the building.

A substructure was created from tubular ribs of galvanized rolled steel. This had three different curved "templates", which enabled the installers to create the complex geometry of the structure.

The architect continues by saying, "in order to create the final curved design, we chose to develop a system of specialized fittings with vertical, horizontal, and inclined adjustments. To this framework, we fixed an extruded aluminum profile that had already been prepped to hold the finished Fundermax panels (with specialist adhesion). This allowed us to carry out the entire design, manufacture, transportation, and installation of 47,040 sqft of the façade in only 5 months!"

Thanks to its unique and original design this project was nominated for ArchDaily's "Building of the Year" award for "Best Applied Products 2019."