IMAGINA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER, Equipment for social and environmental recovery in urban areas.

Catholic University of Colombia, Faculty of Architecture, RIBA

Project idea

Throughout the twentieth century in Bogotá, the processes of growth and territorial conurbation have been evidenced by modifying and decoupling the natural landscape towards consolidated urban environments. The continuous expansion of the urban perimeter and the changes in the regulations in Bogotá brought negative effects on the environmental quality of the rivers that cross the city, forming part of a negative environmental notion; these processes have led to the centralization of the cultural offer.

To analyze this urban phenomenon 3 important aspects are determined: the physical-environmental deterioration, an environmental cultural rejection and the centralization of the cultural infrastructure, in the towns of Fontibón and Kennedy; With the documentation of the Strategic Plan of Intervention and multisectoral for the Rio Fucha and its area of ​​urban environment (PEIIMRF), the problems of contemporary society were identified regarding the role that the Rio Fucha plays within the construction of centralized micro-cities, both physical and mental.
In response to this problem, a concurrent proposal is proposed, to be developed in a public-cultural sphere within the periphery of the River; likewise, the need to generate an environmental appropriation mechanism is established; Fluid and flexible spaces are proposed as a design strategy, which promote the construction of community in a society in constant change.

Project description

Re-recognizing the river in our memory is a key element for its renewal and recovery. Since, if it is not part of our habitat, this will only be a negative imaginary and one more scenario that happened in history, leaving aside the positive qualities and benefits that these spaces house. It is necessary to modify the ways in which we design our territory about the link with the space of the river. First, through the creation of urban public spaces that easily generate a relationship between the inhabitant-city-river; and second, it is necessary to involve and connect the inhabitants with said space, involving a variety of positive memories, experiences and imagery and generating processes of spatial appropriation with the urban public spaces of the river. Thus, the urban-architectural proposal enhances public-private scenarios that promote the construction of collective social relations, introducing new memories of appropriation with the space of the river and the architectural object, as hidden elements in the topography that improve urban relations, through the liberation of public space, multifunctional spaces and cultural activities, within them is playful and artistic expression. The inhabitants have the freedom to stay, transit, contemplate and interact through large areas. The design starts from a flexible architecture proposal, it contains dynamic, versatile, translucent and transformable spaces according to the needs that the interior-exterior relationship of the users encourages. Different spaces are presented, adaptable to artistic programs of any type of population, also to any type of activity.

Technical information

Within the state's concern to protect these urban river spaces, the PEIIMRF has been taken into account, which consists of an instrument for improving the urban environment together with an environmental water corridor recovered through a short, medium and long period until 2038.

Based on Concurrent Design, it is necessary to solve the problems of contemporary society, so projects must have a prospective vision and become constructed, therefore, the scope of the project must be technical with technological contributions.

As a starting point, the modulation of the formal and functional composition was taken, a basic pre-dimensioning is carried out with a porticoed structure and screens, hence the structural design of the project is defined. The proposal is characterized by having two types of structural systems: the first, active section, which corresponds to continuous screens and porticos located on the underground platform, and the second, active vector, which corresponds to a system of diagonal elements implemented in the volume. The intention of using these types of structure is for the function of the spaces; on the platform, since it has a stable program, activities are confined, on the contrary, the volume, having more flexible activities, demands a structure that works with larger lights.

Co-authors

Cindy Carolina Zamudio Riveros