Costco Santa Fe
Discover Costco Santa Fe by Maribel Barba AIA, a unique community-focused project that inspires us and teaches us how to incorporate the natural landscape and recreational spaces into the urban environment.
If you were on the soccer field, shooting hoops, or playing Padel in the newest sports facility in Santa Fe, Mexico, you might not know that you were also standing over a 524,549 SF Costco Wholesale. Built on landfill, with its massive warehouse, parking structure, and loading bay, Costco Santa Fe is almost completely hidden from public view.
This Costco, which also includes a large green roof with 21 varieties of native plants and grasses as well as 15 insect hotels coordinated with SEDEMA (Secretaria de Medio Ambiente) was designed to meld into the neighborhood and serve the community. A pedestrian bridge and walking/running path connect the newly finished sports field and courts to the nearby Parque La Mexicana, seamlessly integrating the new facility with the park’s urban green space.
This Costco includes a large green roof with 21 varieties of native plants and grasses, as well as 15 insect hotels, all designed to meld into the neighborhood and serve the community.
Costco collaborated closely with MG2, the community, the city, and Asociacion de Colonos Zedec Santa Fe A.C. to ensure the aesthetic and functional unity of Costco’s built environments into the existing landscapes, resources, and sustainable operations.
In addition to being constructed on a former landfill site, this project is located in a high-seismic area in Mexico City, creating soil variables and structural risks. In order to mitigate both challenges, designers implemented the use of piles and a pre-engineered metal building, which simultaneously reduced overall cost and contributed to its design. They worked to physically and operationally integrate Costco’s structures with the surrounding park, going above and beyond by matching—or exceeding—the park and the city’s sustainability standards.
One side of the building is fully exposed to the public, while the remaining three are strategically hidden from view, blending into the existing landscape. “Montanitas”, or tall berms covered in native plants, trees, and grasses work double duty to camouflage the warehouse exteriors while minimizing the irrigation and water usage required to allow them to flourish. Green facade screens with native crawling vegetation planted at its base as well as cascading down from the roof above will grow over time to further obscure the warehouse and parking structure’s appearance.
Atop parking is a playground for city residents and visitors, purposely designed with sustainability, wellness, and community in mind, and seamlessly incorporated into the existing Parque La Mexicana beyond. Carefully configured, a fútbol field, padel court, and hybrid basketball/volleyball courts sweep across the roof, while a pedestrian bridge extends the existing jogging path, looping it back into the park. Above Costco’s receiving area lies a beginner’s roller skate park, designed for children to get the hang of basics before graduating to more advanced terrain.
Because the project exists in a seismic zone and each roof supports various loads, the warehouse, multilevel parking garage and receiving area were all built separately using different materials. Costco’s receiving area, located beneath the children’s roller park, required out-of-the-box thinking. The semi-trucks that unload merchandise needed a space that was both large and tall enough for them to maneuver, making column placement challenging. The solution was to integrate a custom 90-foot-long beam at one area of the roof, which supported the weight of the roller park above while providing enough room for the semi-trucks to maneuver in the space.
Because water restrictions are severe in Mexico City, Costco Santa Fe´s water systems were developed in accordance with strict local environmental laws. An onsite water filtration plant makes use of reclaimed water sources for urinals and toilets. A reverse-osmosis system purifies the city´s domestic water used in-store by Costco members. In addition, stormwater from Costco´s roof is collected by a green roof system to use in Parque La Mexicana for its lakes and fountains.
Stormwater from Costco´s roof is collected by a green roof system to use in Parque La Mexicana for its lakes and fountains.
The Costco project in Santa Fe is an example of architects, developers, and jurisdictions working together to find creative solutions that meet the complex challenges of warehouse design and delivery. The result is a design that conceals the warehouse while providing a green space for the community and meeting sustainability standards.