Designed by the New York and Guatemala based architecture practice Taller KEN, this opaque cube rises 15 meters (50 feet) high above one of the most heavily trafficked highways in Guatemala City. The neutral exterior is studded with cars which acts a kind of roadside icon, putting a smile on the faces of drivers as they quickly pass or eternally idle in a traffic jam.
By contrast, the interior is layered with textures and colors, playing against the rigidity of the exposed structural skeleton-much like seeing the backside of a billboard. This oasis in the middle of the roadside functions much like a greenhouse. The central space is illuminated by sawtooth skylights, complimented by passive cooling. Rainwater from the roof is collected in giant blue tanks and used to maintain the tropical planting.
