Current design ideas for Mexico’s new city hall and public safety facilities pay homage to the city’s history as the Firebrick Capital of the World and its existing hip roof architecture. 

The Mexico City Council passed a bill authorizing City Manager Bruce Slagle to sign an agreement with JEMA, a St. Louis based firm, for design and construction administration services regarding the city hall and public safety facilities project at its July 13 meeting.

Contracts were negotiated by Navigate Building Solutions LLC on Mexico’s behalf, and the project will cost $857,312. Deputy City Manager Drew Williford told council members that while the cost is high, it doesn’t surprise him. 

“I’m finding that, on my projects, I’m averaging about 27% of the construction cost,” Williford said. “It seems like a good value.”

There was good competition for design services. Williford said JEMA stood out as being the most professional and it was familiar with joint city hall and public safety facility projects like Mexico’s. 

A first look

Representatives from JEMA attended the July 13 meeting to introduce the firm and the project to the city council prior to the vote. JEMA partner Jon Emert said the firm will be involved in the renovation as the lead architect through construction all the way to the ribbon cutting. He also showed council members some of JEMA’s recent city hall and public safety renovations.

“We bring the entire team to the process that covers all the different disciplines that you’ll see,” Emert told council members. 

Matt Sutherland, JEMA principal, showed council members two similar renderings of what they anticipate the Mexico City Hall and MPSD facilities will look like. 

Designs include the construction of a four-bay apparatus for public safety with floor to ceiling windows, a new parking configuration, and a pedestrian public plaza that will meet the street line. The plaza will be called the “Mexico Municipal Complex.” The bell outside the current City Hall also appeared in the designs.

The new additions feature a lighter, contrasting brick that Sutherland said JEMA chose specifically because of Mexico’s historic ties to firebricks.

Sutherland said the existing facility is in great shape and has a lot of reusable components. 

“We hope to minimize the expense of the renovation happening there,” he said.

Proposed timeline

The renovation is expected to be completed by July 2028

David Bull, Navigate Building Solutions LLC’s senior project manager, provided the following breakdown of estimated timelines to the Mexico City Council. 

The schematic design phase, which will nail down building designs and floor plans, is expected to be in the works through August 2026. 

After that, the project will transition to design development. Bull explained that JEMA and engineers will be finalizing details such as outlet locations, AV systems, lighting, and finishes through January 2027. 

Preparation of construction documents for bidders is expected to last until May 2027 with bidding expected to begin in June 2027. Bull said the bidding process typically takes four to six weeks for a final expected project completion date of July 2028.

“There’s a lot going for that existing building the way that it’s oriented and the way the levels work,” Bull told council members, agreeing with Sutherland’s assessment. “It’s really a matter of, at this point, getting all your guys’ needs in that facility, making sure that we’re conscious about what we’re changing and modifying inside the existing building, so we can put a lot of capital into the more expensive additions.”