Torres De Satélite / Luis Barragán | Classics On Architecture Lab

Architects: Luis Barragan
Year: 1958
Photographs: Adlai Pulido, ProtoplasmaKid, Renegado, Armando Salas Portugal, Marianne Goeritz
City: Naucalpan de Juárez
Country: Mexico

The Torres de Satélite, designed by Luis Barragán and Mathias Goeritz in 1958, were conceived as a landmark for Satellite City, an ambitious urban project on the outskirts of Mexico City led by Mario Pani. Originally commissioned as a fountain, the project evolved into a sculptural ensemble of five triangular concrete towers, reaching up to 52 meters (170 feet) in height. Positioned on a slightly inclined square, the towers emphasize verticality, creating an illusion of movement and shifting perceptions as viewers approach. The hollow prisms, featuring horizontal striations achieved through industrial chimney construction techniques, change form depending on the angle of view. Their bright colors, inspired by San Gimignano’s medieval towers, have varied over time—from white, yellow, and ocher to orange for the 1968 Olympics and later to white, blue, yellow, and red in 1989. In 2008, a restoration project reinstated the original colors and introduced architectural lighting, preserving this iconic collaboration between architecture and sculpture.

As part of the ambitious Satellite City project on the outskirts of Mexico City, led by architect Mario Pani in the mid-20th century, Luis Barragán was commissioned by Pani in 1958 to design a fountain that would serve as a distinctive landmark at the main road entrance to the master plan. The renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán, in collaboration with sculptor Mathias Goeritz, designed five concrete towers with a triangular plan, varying in color and height, with the tallest reaching 52 meters (170 feet). Conceived as purely sculptural elements, the towers were intended to be highly visible from a distance and in motion, ensuring their prominence within the landscape.

Torres de satélite / luis barragán | classics on architecture lab — Torres de Satélite / Luis Barragán | Classics on Architecture Lab 19

The five towers are positioned on a slightly inclined square, creating a visual effect where they appear to extend upward as the viewer approaches. This arrangement enhances their sense of verticality, resembling needles piercing the sky. Their horizontal striations not only introduce texture but also contribute to a perceived sense of strength in their overall form. In March 1958, the Satellite Towers were inaugurated as a symbol of the emerging Satellite City under the administration of Adolfo Ruiz Cortines. The project is regarded as an experiment, representing the inseparable fusion of architecture and sculpture. Barragán and Goeritz conceived the design as a conceptual exercise, using large-scale volumes to create an aesthetic interaction with the landscape, specifically intended to be experienced in motion from the roads.

The sculptural ensemble consists of five concrete blocks of varying heights, positioned in an apparently random arrangement on a concrete slab that remains bare and unadorned, emphasizing the stark and monumental nature of the composition. The towers are hollow, triangular structures with no roofs, designed to create an optical illusion as movement alters their perceived geometry. Depending on the viewing angle, they can appear as flat planes, sharp vertical lines, fine vertices, or massive walls. Their surface retains the texture of the concrete formwork, featuring grooves at one-meter intervals, achieved using construction techniques typically employed for industrial chimneys.

The Torres de Satélite are distinguished by their vibrant colors, which, along with their arrangement, texture, and scale, create a fusion between Mexican identity and cosmopolitan influence. Over the years, their color palette has undergone several modifications. The original scheme featured white, yellow, and ocher, inspired by the towers of San Gimignano in Italy. However, for the 1968 Olympics, Mathias Goeritz proposed painting them orange to create a striking contrast against the blue sky. In 1989, they were repainted with a new scheme: two white towers, one blue, one yellow, and one red, sponsored by Nervión and Bayer de México.

In 2008, the Naucalpan City Council, along with private donors, carried out a restoration project that removed the previous layers of paint using polyurethane foam shots, restoring the towers to their original colors. Moreover, architectural lighting was installed to further emphasize this iconic landmark designed by Barragán and Goeritz.