Discover the participating projects for the INFONAVIT Materials, Energy, and Water Laboratories

Read the original version in Spanish here.

Published on July 04, 2026

Through the Center for Sustainable Development Research (CIDS), Infonavit launched an open call for architecture and engineering firms to design the "Materials, Energy, and Water Laboratories" Building. Aiming to research and experiment with new materials, industrialized components, and spatial characteristics that foster the development of social housing, the building will be part of the complex named "Infonavit Housing Practical Research and Experimentation Laboratory" in "San Miguel del Arco," Apan, Hidalgo.

The brief required the proposal to be designed as a program container. Specifically, the design for this Ideas Competition had to house three major research spaces (materials, energy, and water) tailored to the specific testing and research needs of each laboratory, which will be developed in detail during the executive project phase with the winning firm. A key requirement for these spaces was spatial flexibility and versatility in both plan and section.

Within these spaces, Infonavit intends to conduct experimentation on materials, structural elements, and sustainable construction processes. Water management research will focus on quality and purity measurement, water reuse and recovery, wastewater and greywater treatment, and their reuse in housing and green spaces. Energy research will involve studying, analyzing, and applying new renewable energy technologies for lighting and water heating in housing and public spaces.

The jury, comprising specialists, architects, and urban planners from Infonavit, evaluated the submissions based on the innovation and originality of the architectural proposal, adaptability to the site and the wider laboratory complex, technical feasibility, sustainability, contribution to the institutional image, and spatial quality. Out of 17 participating firms, the evaluation process yielded four finalists: