Legend Tower in Guadalajara, Mexico, designed by SOM in collaboration with Estudio AMA and Esrawe Studio, recently broke ground. It covers 110,000 square meters and is a mixed-use tower featuring an exclusive mix of residences, a Canopy by Hilton hotel, boutique retail shops, and office space. With its 190-meter-tall height, the Legend planned to be the tallest building in the Andares Zapopan district.
The design integrates architecture, views, and landscapes. It consists of 52 floors and covers 7,500 square meters of office space, 190 hotel rooms, and 178 residential units on the highest floors. Legend also provides residents with exclusive and direct access to each residential unit. The luxurious living spaces include floor-to-ceiling sliding doors that open to private outdoor balconies and terraces with striking views. The planning emphasizes indoor-outdoor living and features greenery courtyard retail at the ground, and communal amenities on terraces at the midpoint and rooftops.
“Legend is the culmination of the best minds collaborating to achieve the most representative project of Guadalajara… Inspired by local traditions and seeking evolution to become the project that will represent a historic change in its context.”
Andrés Muñoz Alarcón, Founder, Estudio AMA
The Legend’s architecture, landscaping, and materials have been carefully chosen to create a distinctive local identity with global appeal. It incorporates local culture and craftsmanship to produce intricately textured handmade surfaces that contrast with the often technical appearances of the towers. To adapt to the region’s climate, the concrete facade includes passive measures to minimize energy use, optimize natural light, and reduce glare, while also, locally sourced mineral aggregates will be mixed into the concrete facade, resulting in a color and texture that reflects the region’s natural materials.
The hand-chiseled concrete details add texture and a human element to its simple and sophisticated design. SOM Design Principal José Luis Palacios stated, “The design brings an architecture that is expressive of mass and weight, with a sense of proportion that is unique to the region,” about the design highlighting the local identity.
With the construction of the Legend Tower underway, it is scheduled to be finished by 2029.
