UH Infonavit Santa Fe Community Park / AMASA Estudio

Architects: AMASA Estudio
Area: 230 m²
Year: 2024
Photography: Zaickz Moz, Gerardo Reyes Bustamante
Lead Architects: Andrea López, Agustín Pereyra
Architects Team: Roxana León, Jose Luis Flores, Gerardo Reyes, Yanahi Flaviel
Construction: Desarrolladora de Ideas y Espacios, Alberto Cejudo
Structural Engineering: Juan Felipe Heredia
Engineering: Germán Muñoz
Lighting Design: Gabriel Briseño
Landscape Design: Maritza Hernández
Client: INFONAVIT
City/Location: Ciudad de México
Country: Mexico

AMASA Estudio’s intervention in the UH Infonavit Santa Fe Community Park redefines a long-neglected corner of Mexico City’s western edge. Built within a housing unit marked by steep ravines and disconnected terrain, the project transforms a deteriorated basketball court and fragmented open space into an accessible park that integrates architecture and landscape. Centered around a circular multipurpose building, the design addresses the site’s six-meter elevation change through terraced levels and continuous pathways that link play areas, a calisthenics zone, and a rooftop sports court. By preserving all existing trees and introducing efficient water management through absorption wells, the project harmonizes technical precision with ecological respect. The resulting public space encourages community appropriation and reclaims a once-abandoned lot as a vibrant social and recreational hub.

Uh infonavit santa fe community park / amasa estudio

Located on the southern edge of Mexico City’s INFONAVIT Santa Fe housing complex, the project by AMASA Estudio responds to one of the most challenging urban terrains in the city. The site, formed by steep ravines and irregular slopes, represented both a geographical obstacle and a social void within the neighborhood. Its rehabilitation became an opportunity to reconnect the housing unit’s residents through design.

The triangular plot selected for the intervention sat between two streets at different elevations. Historically used as a basketball court, the area had fallen into disuse due to cracked surfaces, poor drainage, and a general lack of maintenance. The absence of proper infrastructure and lighting reinforced the sense of insecurity, turning the site into a neglected and fragmented corner of the city.

INFONAVIT commissioned AMASA Estudio to transform this deteriorated space into an accessible and inclusive public park. The program required a multipurpose room, new play areas, a calisthenics zone, and the restoration of the sports court. The design needed to address not only the physical degradation of the terrain but also the psychological barrier that years of abandonment had created among residents.

Rather than imposing a conventional solution, AMASA Estudio approached the challenge through adaptation. The project’s defining gesture—a circular multipurpose building—emerged as a direct response to the site’s geometry and slope. This circular form allowed the architects to distribute the program organically while preserving the surrounding trees and maximizing open space.

The circular structure resolved critical technical and spatial constraints. It avoided blind corners and facilitated visibility across the park, enhancing safety and openness. The geometry also offered flexibility in how visitors navigate the site, encouraging continuous movement and connection among different activity zones.

The program unfolds in ascending layers. From the lower street, visitors enter along a gently sloped path leading to the multipurpose room at ground level. Above it, children’s play areas and calisthenics equipment occupy terraced platforms. At the highest level, a basketball court crowns the cylindrical building’s roof, offering panoramic views of the surrounding trees and housing blocks.

This multi-level configuration transformed the park into a continuous landscape rather than a series of separate spaces. The architecture blends with the terrain, allowing natural circulation through paths that link all areas without hierarchy. The design encourages fluid transitions between recreation, rest, and gathering, fostering a sense of belonging and shared identity.

Preserving the existing vegetation became a defining element of the design process. The site was surrounded by eucalyptus, pine, and colorín trees, whose preservation guided the placement and form of the new structure. The architects chose to adapt the building’s footprint to avoid root damage, ensuring that no trees were cut during construction.

The integration of nature and architecture extended beyond preservation. The vegetation acts as a microclimatic regulator, providing shade, filtering air, and reinforcing the park’s ecological continuity. This approach underscores AMASA Estudio’s commitment to sustainable, site-specific design rooted in respect for the landscape’s existing conditions.

Topography and hydrology presented further challenges. The sloping terrain was prone to erosion and flooding during Mexico City’s rainy season. To mitigate these risks, two absorption wells were strategically located to manage surface runoff and filter rainwater into the subsoil. This intervention stabilized the land and eliminated chronic drainage problems that had affected the area for decades.

Structurally, the circular building embodies precision and simplicity. Its system of radially arranged concrete columns and beams converges at a central compression ring that distributes loads to the periphery. The roof slab, serving as both ceiling and sports court, exemplifies the efficient overlap of structural and spatial functions.

The project’s execution required close coordination between AMASA Estudio, contractor Desarrolladora de Ideas y Espacios, and structural engineer Juan Felipe Heredia. Despite a limited budget and difficult topographic conditions, the team delivered a technically demanding project with clarity and coherence.

Constructed during the 2024 rainy season, the park’s completion tested its resilience. The following year, it endured one of the most intense rainy seasons in two decades without damage or flooding, confirming the success of its drainage and foundation systems. The project’s technical endurance reinforced its role as a model for sustainable public infrastructure in Mexico City.

Beyond engineering achievement, the park represents a shift in social perception. A space once defined by insecurity has been reimagined as a site of community life and participation. Its open, circular form invites gathering and visibility, encouraging residents to reclaim a space that had long been excluded from everyday use.

Through its design, the UH Infonavit Santa Fe Community Park dissolves boundaries between architecture and landscape. The building functions as a topographic extension of the land, while the park becomes an architectural continuum. The design’s circular rhythm and terraced paths establish a spatial logic rooted in inclusivity and flow.

Ultimately, the project demonstrates how architectural design can serve as an instrument of social and environmental repair. By merging technical ingenuity with ecological care and civic purpose, AMASA Estudio has transformed a neglected ravine into a resilient public realm. The UH Infonavit Santa Fe Community Park stands as a testament to the power of architecture to turn difficult terrains into spaces of community, safety, and renewal.