Milán 44 — Mexico City, Mexico

Abandoned for seven years, a four-storey warehouse and auto parts store in Mexico City’s Colonia Juarez has been revived as an urban market and mixed-use development, a potent salvo in the regeneration of a quarter that had, by all accounts, been in decline since an earthquake in the mid-1980s.
Architects Francisco Pardo Arquitecto and Julio Amezcua have tread lightly, framing the building’s tenants against a backdrop of the original raw, exposed concrete ceilings, beams, and columns. Levity is introduced by way of a green staircase and light streaming in through floor-to-ceiling windows – Pardo likening the effect to a vortex that folds the street-scape up through the building to the rooftop, which houses a Mexican beer bar.
In addition to a barber, beauty salon, pilates and yoga studios, and office, Milán 44 – the complex is named after its street address – is drawing in the neighbourhood with a sweep of stalls including Holly Waffles, a creation by Belgian street artist Bué the Warrior, sushi bar, a southeastern Mexican stall, and an organic food market.
For the developers, Milán 44 is both an experiment in the repurposing of extant, abandoned architecture, and a crucial component of what they view as the ‘genetic code for the city’s future development’. Either way, it’s a tasty treat.
ADDRESS
Colonia Juarez
Delegación Cuauhtémoc
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Tuneshine is a new way of bringing back the lost art of the album cover
The compact Tuneshine screen uses LED tech to illuminate the artwork of whatever you’re currently streaming
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
What to see at Rencontres d’Arles 2025, questioning power structures in the state and family
Suppressed memories resurface in sharply considered photography at Rencontres d'Arles 2025. Here are some standout photographers to see
-
Head to Puerto Escondido, a hot spot of eco-friendly hotels for the architecturally adventurous
As a bucolic cluster of beach towns evolves on Mexico’s Oaxacan coast, there’s hope that Puerto Escondido can prove a guiding light in responsible tourism; Eric Millman went to find out more
-
Six hotels where you’ll find the winter sun this February
From intimate seaside inns to lush tropical resorts, here are six Wallpaper*-approved winter sun escapes
-
Vipp Todos Santos wins Wallpaper* Design Award 2025
A new guesthouse from the Danish design brand brings a Scandinavian aesthetic to a desert location in Mexico
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025: meet the travel winners transcending destinations
Discover the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2025 travel winners – the year’s places to stay, dine, drink and join – and watch our video to find out why they won
-
Take a trip to San Miguel de Allende, the Mexican City attracting a flourishing creative crowd
San Miguel de Allende is home to a bold young crowd of talent that’s thriving off the city’s brightly-hued heritage
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel desk
Wallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
The world’s best new hotels to love without reservation
Explore the best new openings in the world, from Aman’s exclusive mountain retreat in the Dolomites to Pak Hyatt’s debut in Johannesburg
-
Ennea Hotel on Mexico’s Oaxaca coast pays homage to the region’s artisanal legacy
Ennea Hotel’s warm interiors are dressed in authentic Mexican materials, thanks to architects at Jaque Studio alongside designers Comité de Proyectos