This Friday, July 26th, Futeca Corporation launched the “Futeca District”a project that, according to its developers, will complement and redefine the urban fabric in the capital city of Guatemala, since It will include spaces for entertainment, sports, amenities and a forum designed for events of all kinds.
Javier Arzudirector of the Futeca business consortium, He said that “this will be a legacy that will position Guatemala as a brand and will fill spaces that currently do not exist in Guatemala, since it will dignify cultural, entertainment and sports activities. The estimated investment for the total project is US$250 million.”
He also stated that when they saw the opportunity to build on land located between zones 5 and 10 of the city, they did not hesitate to participate, so it is expected that, during the construction phase, The project is expected to generate between two and three thousand direct and indirect jobs, and around 10 thousand jobs upon completion.
Project details
Futeca District is divided into two phases, whose construction on seven blocks of land will take about five years. In the first ones the construction of the shopping center that will be called Galería Futeca and phase two will be the Futeca Forum.
The Futeca Gallery will have an area of 62 thousand m² and will include a five-star hotel with 120 rooms, plus room for more than 40 shops and restaurants, a supermarket, gym, bowling alley, swimming pool, a 400-meter jogging track, parking for more than 800 vehiclesareas dedicated to taxis, private transportation and a Transmetro station.
Futeca Forum will be an area for mass events with a capacity of approximately 25 thousand seats and 12 thousand grass spaces.for a total of 37 thousand spectators at its maximum capacity, which will operate 365 days a year. This space It will have an outdoor plaza and indoor facilities to hold concerts, fairs, exhibitions, corporate events, social events and conventions, in addition to meeting international standards for sporting events and meetings.
The construction of the forum covers more than 200 thousand m² distributed in commerce, amenities, services and parking. Mariana Yurritashopping center manager of Futeca Corporation explained that “Between the two projects we will provide open spaces, natural elements, a meeting point for families and with the seal of the corporation, that is, entertainment and sport. At the moment we already have 35 affiliated academies.”
With international advice
He shopping mall design It is run by the Guatemalan firm AS Architecture which has more than 36 years of experience and development of projects in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, the United States and Puerto Rico.
Its director, Alfredo Saravia explained that “this concept will set an example for the region due to the synergy that it will have as a shopping centre and a forum, which will offer added value to the city and one cannot yet imagine everything that will happen there.”
The corporation in charge of the Forum design is HKS Architects, a company that has built hospitals, stadiums and airports, among others. Fred Ortizglobal head of sports and entertainment at HKS, and Juan Carlos Pinedadirector of the Mexico office, They indicated that this project is a spearhead in Central America and they do not doubt that it will mark a before and after in projects in the region and in South America.
When asked what motivated them to participate in Distrito Futeca, they explained: “When Javier presented the project to us, we saw that it met our objectives as a company. In other words, it was a proposal that would impact not only one place but beyond.”
They added that even In South America they have tried to participate in spaces like this and the owners are afraid about whether it will work economically, whether the location is the right one and, above all, whether people will like it. “Proposals like these can only be put forward and implemented by visionaries who are not afraid of taking risks.”
How the project came about
According to Captain Mario Alejandro Baeza Pereira, manager of the Military Pension Institute (IPM), In January 2023, the institution launched an offer to lease land for 50 years to seek funds to meet its obligations to pensioners and retirees. Eight companies submitted proposals and in the end only three were selected as finalists.
After analyzing the projects in light of the 33 qualitative standards required by the institute, Futeca Corporation stood out for its experience and economic strength, he explained.
The project could not leave any loose ends, so The full-size model of the project was developed and imported from Panama. This will be on display for a few days at the Décima shopping centre.
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