The Culiacán Botanical Garden in Sinaloa, Mexico, represents one of the longest-standing projects undertaken by Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO. Spanning over two decades, this ongoing intervention embodies a measured, reflective architectural response to an existing civic and ecological landscape. Far from a singular monumental gesture, the project reveals itself through a sequence of modest yet intentional architectural acts that together form a spatial and conceptual network. Each intervention is designed to coexist with, rather than dominate, its natural surroundings, engaging in a continuous negotiation between built form, vegetation, climate, and public life.
Culiacán Botanical Garden Technical Information
- Architects1-17: Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO
- Location: Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
- Gross Area: 100,000 m2 | 10 hectares
- Project Years: 2004 – Present
- Photographs: © Onnis Luque
Our relationship with the garden has been an opportunity to constantly revisit ideas, experiment with the relationship between built environment, nature and art, and challenge our understanding of the role of the architect.
– Tatiana Bilbao
Culiacán Botanical Garden Photographs
Design Philosophy and Masterplan Evolution
Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO began its involvement in 2005, when the studio was invited to participate in transforming the Culiacán Botanical Garden into a space that could support a new contemporary art program. The garden had already been a significant public amenity, rooted in the legacy of engineer Carlos Murillo, who turned his private botanical collection into a public space 25 years prior. Rather than imposing a new identity onto the site, the architectural approach was grounded in an understanding of the garden’s existing logic and ecological structure.
A key conceptual gesture in the master plan was the use of fractal geometry derived from the form of the Huanacaxtle tree, a species emblematic of the garden. This organic framework enabled the studio to define a flexible and non-linear spatial organization, one that could accommodate various architectural interventions without disrupting the ecological coherence of the site. The result is a series of distributed pavilions that blend into the garden’s landscape, offering localized architectural moments rather than a comprehensive formal statement.
Spatial Strategy and Programmatic Fragmentation
Rather than consolidate the program into a single structure, the project is articulated as a collection of discrete buildings, each assigned a specific function and placed in response to contextual cues. This strategy of programmatic fragmentation serves multiple purposes. First, it minimizes the physical footprint of each intervention, preserving the site’s biodiversity. Second, it fosters a more nuanced relationship between architecture and environment, enabling users to experience the shifting conditions of light, vegetation, and topography as they move through the garden.
The spatial network includes buildings for education, research, administration, and public gathering. Among the most notable are the open-air auditorium, the educational services complex, the laboratories, and the north entrance. Each is shaped to create varied relationships with the landscape and to support a spectrum of uses, from passive observation to active participation. Circulation between these structures is defined by a hierarchy of pathways made from different materials, guiding visitors through curated botanical zones while providing moments of orientation and pause.
Material Language and Construction Techniques
Material decisions throughout the project reflect both environmental and practical concerns. The early buildings, such as the open auditorium, were constructed using lightweight concrete with added pellets. This solution was chosen for its thermal properties and its availability in the region, providing an effective barrier against Culiacán’s intense heat, which frequently exceeds 40 degrees Celsius.
The decision to work with a single material also reflects a desire for formal and structural clarity. Many of the buildings are defined by thick concrete walls, often limited to three planes, with shading provided by the surrounding vegetation rather than mechanical systems. As the project evolved, the studio transitioned to concrete block construction for later phases, striking a balance between cost efficiency and consistency in aesthetic language. These material strategies maintain a sculptural presence while remaining unobtrusive, allowing the architecture to serve as an infrastructural support for the garden rather than its centerpiece.
Architecture, Ecology, and the Civic Realm
The garden occupies ten hectares within the urban fabric of Culiacán, positioning it not only as a botanical and artistic destination but also as a civic space. The inclusion of 38 contemporary artworks, integrated carefully throughout the site, extends the program beyond ecological conservation to one of cultural engagement. Yet, the architecture avoids becoming a backdrop for spectacle. Instead, it facilitates a broader educational mission, hosting workshops, exhibitions, and research activities that foreground biodiversity and sustainability.
One of the project’s key achievements is its attention to the gradation between public and private, formal and informal, open and enclosed. At the north entrance, inclined concrete buildings with floor-to-ceiling glazing provide administrative and visitor services, while creating shaded public zones through canopy-like concrete structures. The laboratories, though primarily service-oriented, are dispersed across the garden in such a way that users are always visually connected to the surrounding plant life. The greenhouse, designed to house sensitive tropical and exotic species, employs a patterned film over its glass envelope to simulate the dappled light of the tree canopy, reinforcing the project’s immersive ecological character.
Throughout its various phases, the Culiacán Botanical Garden has remained a site of architectural experimentation and adaptation. Its incremental development reflects a sustained commitment to embedding architecture within living systems. By prioritizing local climate, material efficiency, and programmatic flexibility, Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO has created a spatial and cultural framework that continues to evolve in tandem with the community and ecosystem it serves.
Culiacán Botanical Garden Plans
Culiacán Botanical Garden Image Gallery
About Tatiana Bilbao Estudio
Tatiana Bilbao Estudio is a Mexico City-based architecture firm founded by Tatiana Bilbao in 2004. Known for its socially conscious and context-driven approach, the studio engages with a diverse range of typologies, including cultural and institutional buildings, affordable housing, and urban master plans. The practice emphasizes material simplicity, collaborative design processes, and a deep sensitivity to place, often exploring the intersection between architecture, landscape, and collective memory.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Principal Architect: Tatiana Bilbao Spamer
- Partners: Catia Bilbao, David Vaner, Juan Pablo Benlliure, Alba Cortés, Mariano Castillo, Soledad Rodríguez
- Project Managers: Paola Toriz, Carlos Leguizamo, Sofía Betancur, Simona Solórzano, Sonia Castañón
- Design Team: Roberto Rosales, Israel Álvarez, Mariana Tello, Lina Ruelas, Sebastián Córdova, Julieta Sobral, Ana María Yumbe, Diana Figueroa, Juan Pablo Benlliure, Alessia Shoor, Kevin Kraus, José G. Amozurrutia, Soledad Rodríguez, María Cristina Sánchez, Abelardo Bravo, Alberto Nania, Pedro Torres, Isaac Solis Rosas, Adrián Ramírez, Steven Beltrán, Lilian Betancourt, José Leal
- Construction Phases: Masterplan (2004–2007), Auditorium (2007–2011), Educational Services (2011–2014), Laboratories (2014–2016), North Entrance (2017–2019), South Node (2021–Ongoing)
- Model Workshop Manager: Isaac Monterrosa
- Model Workshop Team: Víctor Castañeda, Ángela Silva, Melissa Bravo, Erick Quijano, Mauricio Rodríguez, Roberto Rodríguez, Irais Corona, Omar Díaz, Ana Castellá, Essiak Fernández, Thorsten Englert, Adriana de Carvalho
- Client: Sociedad Botánica y Zoológica de Sinaloa IAP
- Contractors: PARALELO, EBI CONSTRUCCIONES
- Structural Engineer: IESSA S.A. de C.V., Ing. Jorge García Cortés
- Engineering Services: MANOBRA, KINETICA, AKF MÉXICO
- Electrical & Plumbing: Arq. Felipe Ortiz Gónzalez
- Landscape Design: TOA
- Art Curator: Patrick Charpenel
- Artistic Coordination: Cynthia Gutiérrez, Emiliano García, Tania Rodríguez, Fernando Jiménez
- Certifications: ARBNET Level 1 (2019)
- Awards: Grupo Expansión Project of the Year (2011), Bienal de Arquitectura de Paisaje de México (2009), Ecological Merit Award (2020)
