Museo Soumaya: a facade of 16,000 aluminum hexagons
Museo Soumaya, at Plaza Carso in Mexico City, is wrapped in 16,000 aluminum hexagons mounted on 28 curved steel columns. According to Actinver, that cladding is aluminum from Almexa, Grupo Vasconia's flat-rolled aluminum mill.
Updated 2026-09-22
- Aluminum hexagons
- 16,000
- Curved steel columns
- 28
- Floors
- 6
- Opened
- 2011
What is the Museo Soumaya facade made of?
Aluminum. The building's skin is 16,000 bright aluminum hexagons that neither touch the ground nor each other: each one is fixed at its center to a secondary structure of tubes hanging from 28 curved steel columns, millimeters away from its neighbors. That is why the facade seems to float around the building.
The project
The museum was designed by Mexican architect Fernando Romero of FR-EE for the Carlos Slim Foundation's collection. Gehry Technologies coordinated the 3D engineering, Ove Arup took part in the structural engineering and Geometrica fabricated the secondary structure that holds the hexagons. It opened to the public in March 2011 at Plaza Carso, in Nuevo Polanco, and has six floors.
Almexa's role
According to Actinver's flyer on Grupo Vasconia, Museo Soumaya is clad with aluminum from Almexa. It is the most visible example of the flat-rolled aluminum that leaves our Cuautitlán Izcalli plant: thousands of identical pieces, outdoors, on one of the most photographed buildings in Mexico City.
What a facade asks of aluminum
- Formability: the sheet is cut, bent and formed into repeated parts without cracking.
- Flatness: on a large surface, any waviness shows.
- Lot-to-lot consistency: thousands of parts must look the same even if made on different dates.
- Weather resistance: aluminum forms its own oxide layer, which protects it from corrosion.
If your facade, roofing or cladding project needs sheet or coil, here is the typical spec:
- Aluminum for construction alloys and tempers for facades and roofing
- Cut-to-length aluminum sheet 0.0394 to 0.1575 in sheet
- Aluminum coil 0.0177 to 0.1575 in, up to 48 in
Sources
- Actinver: "Invest in Grupo Vasconia shares" flyer (PDF, 2021, in Spanish) states: "The Museo Soumaya is clad with aluminum from Almexa, a subsidiary of Grupo Vasconia".
- Wikipedia: Museo Soumaya accessed September 22, 2026.
- Expansión Obras: history and architecture of Museo Soumaya (Spanish) May 6, 2022.
- Geometrica: Museo Soumaya has a secret secondary structure and hexagon fixing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Museo Soumaya facade made of?
Aluminum: 16,000 hexagons mounted on a structure of 28 curved steel columns. According to Actinver, that aluminum comes from Almexa.
Who designed Museo Soumaya?
Mexican architect Fernando Romero of FR-EE, with 3D engineering coordination by Gehry Technologies. The museum opened in March 2011.
Who made the aluminum for Museo Soumaya?
Almexa Aluminio, a subsidiary of Grupo Vasconia, according to Actinver material on the company.