TIJUANA. The so called Tijuana real estate boom is about to reach a new, never before seen height with Bajalta: California, the first development of its kind not only in the city, but in Baja California and even perhaps in of the Mexican northwest.
The city is, without a doubt, going through an important time in vertical real estate development. Housing projects, medical centers, offices and smaller mixed-use projects are rising in different areas at a pace not witnessed since the Tijuana River canalization era in the 70s and 80s, and are changing the skyline of the city with each passing month.
Mario Roberto Rubio, Bajaltas project director in Tijuana through Artha Capital, said that they want the project to be a trendsetter in architecture and urban design, positioning it as an iconic project for Tijuana.
Funding is completely from Mexican sources, Rubio highlights, but the complexs design comes from New York-based firm SHoP Architects, which has several state-of-the-art projects in their portfolio, such as the new Uber HQ building in San Francisco and the first supertall building in Brooklyn.
During an opening gala event that officially presented the project to the public, SHoPs project leader Omar Toro-Vaca underlined the importance of building Bajalta: California also as a public space, not just as a closed-off building complex, mentioning that they wanted to balance the private lifestyle of the Western world with Mexicos love vibrant public spaces, something they knew to be a necessity in Tijuana.
The project will include areas opened to the public and accessible on foot at street level, welcoming residents from nearby neighborhoods or visitors that just want to enjoy the new space.
The Project:
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Over 869422.57 square feet.
4 residential towers, three for sale and one for leasing.
1 office and hotel complex.
1 culturally oriented building, called la manzanita (the little block).
3 commercial stories that will include spaces for local designers and artisans, as well as a farmers market.
Construction begins during the last quarter of 2016
Construction ends in 2021.
SHoP puts special emphasis in la manzanita, the proposed cultural center of the project, hoping that it becomes a public area for the city in the form of a museum, school, cultural center, etc.
The concept of mixing public and private spaces is the reason this proposed super complex is labeled mixed-use, and Toro-Vaca argues that the name Bajalta is also about contrasting concepts; a private project that will become a new public plaza for the city, and the marriage of two lifestyles, both Mexican and American in nature.
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jose.sanchez@sandiegored.com
Translated by axel.alcala@sandiegored.com
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