aidia studio brings parametric structures to mexican jungle
Tucked into the subtropical jungle of Chetumal, Mexico, Parque Quintana Roo by AIDIA STUDIO transforms a once seasonal fairground into a year-round civic landscape for sports, culture, and community life. Spanning 10 hectares, the government-funded masterplan reimagines the annual fairgrounds of the region through a biophilic and parametric design lens, featuring a 1,000-seat arena, stream-like pedestrian pathways, and a constellation of circular structures. From ceiba-lined civic squares to skate parks and origami-roofed courts, the project softens the rigid edges of the site with a network of arcs and tangent connections, inviting fluid movement and a non-hierarchical experience through space.
All structures are finished in pale surfaces that reflect sunlight and mitigate heat, while slender olive-green metal columns and undulating timber details echo the surrounding forest. Each roof, many modeled after hyperbolic paraboloids, responds to tropical weather conditions, offering protection from heavy rainfall while maintaining natural airflow. Instead of solid facades, the buildings use brick screens and open walls, encouraging cross-ventilation and maintaining a dialogue with the outdoors.
Parque Quintana Roo transforms a traditional fairground into a vibrant urban park | all images by Andrés Cedillo
year-round infrastructure composes Parque Quintana Roo
The Parque Quintana Roo project originated as a response to the growing demand for more permanent infrastructure for Chetumal’s annual fair. This event evolved beyond its temporary roots to include concerts, rides, craft markets, and civic gatherings. Rather than proposing isolated buildings, London- and Mexico-based AIDIA STUDIO envisioned a coherent public realm that could host both everyday activities and large-scale festivities. A trapezoidal site measuring 200 by 400 meters, with only one formal entry point, posed initial access challenges. The architects addressed this by developing a road circuit that loops around the park, embedding running and cycling tracks into its perimeter, and distributing access to various venues from multiple points.
all materials used in the plazas and buildings harmonize with the area’s natural limestone
a biophilic parkland of arenas, pavilions, and civic spaces
At the core of the masterplan is a spatial language of circles and arcs, where each venue, from the retail pavilions to sports facilities, adopts a circular footprint and connects to others via tangent curves. This layout, driven by parametric tools and biophilic principles, allows the park to feel like a continuous terrain. The centerpiece is a 1,000-person arena that emerges as a sculptural terminus to the journey through the park. Along the way, visitors encounter spaces like the civic square framed by eleven ancestral ceiba trees, a multipurpose pavilion, a skate park, playgrounds, calisthenics areas, and covered basketball courts whose wide-span roofs draw from origami forms.
Crucially, the low density and modular construction strategy of Parque Quintana Roo were intentional, aiming to preserve green cover and to ensure cost-effective implementation. AIDIA STUDIO’s bottom-up approach prioritized the user’s experience of nature: whether cycling under a canopy of trees, discovering civic life at the heart of the ceiba grove, or skating through sun-dappled clearings.
various building typologies were developed tailored to the specific functions of the buildings
tiled hyperbolic paraboloid roofs offer protection against heavy rainfall