ambrosi etchegaray reimagines 19th century building as círculo mexicano hotel in mexico city

in the heart downtown mexico city, where pre-hispanic ruins converge with the national palace and the oldest cathedral in the americas, lies an intimate and thoughtfully-designed lifestyle hotel, círculo mexicano. with architecture by ambrosi etchegaray and a sophisticated visual identity developed by deduce, the venue brings together food, fashion, and design, offering travelers an authentic experience of contemporary mexican culture.

all images of círculo mexicano by sergio lopez

in realizing círculo mexicano, boutique hotel developer grupo habita asked architecture studio ambrosi etchegaray to re-imagine the 19th century building. a marketplace is found on the ground floor with custom details that accentuate the splendor of the original building. meanwhile, the rooftop terrace features a swimming pool and restaurant, which offer spectacular views of the metropolitan cathedral, the national palace, and the templo mayor, making it one of the most attractive meeting places in the city.

on the second and third floors, the hotel has been designed to offer a unique and luxurious experience for guests. each of the 25 rooms have simple and clean interiors that place an emphasis on premium materials and highlight privacy. 18 of the rooms have their own skylit, contemplative patio, while the others feature balconies overlooking an adjacent pedestrian walkway.

the hotel’s graphic identity has been conceived by deduce, a design studio based in mexico city, with creative direction by andy butler and graphic design by fernando toral. the logomark plays with the hotel’s name and spanish word for circle — círculo — while a pared down palette of deep grey-blues and muted white compliment its polished personality. a serif typefaces defines the wayfinding system that guests can spot throughout the halls and doors to their rooms.

interestingly, the hotel’s address is where manuel álvarez bravo (1902 – 2002), mexico’s most celebrated photographer, was born, spent his formative years, and shot the ‘el ensueño’ (the day dream) in 1931. in collaboration with the manuel álvarez bravo foundation, grupo habita selected a number of works by the photographer which are exhibited throughout the hotel rooms and public areas.

designboom recently visited ambrosi etchegaray’s studio in mexico city where we spoke with jorge ambrosi about his practice, and the current state of architecture in mexico. read the in-depth interview, and see photos from our studio visit here.