NO_BUNKER : Revealed Contentions

University of los Andes, Bogotá Colombia, Faculty of architecture and design

Project idea

Where the echoes of war still resonate, the bunkers abandoned by the U.S. military have become monuments to oblivion and toxicity in Vieques, Puerto Rico. These remnants of violence, laden with substances that have trapped generations in a cycle of illness—along with the natural disasters that affect the area—give way to a new possibility within these forgotten vaulted containers: the regeneration of a space that, through transformation and revelation of its configuration, can offer refuge and resilience to those still suffering its consequences. Toxicity becomes fertile ground for research, and affliction, a new perspective on health through well-being. This entire new system, encapsulated in a NO-Bunker, emerges from elevation and is shielded from the Earth's contamination.

Project description

The project reveals and enhances the hidden potential of the vault, transforming it into a space that exposes the invisible and unlocks new opportunities. Toxicity and hurricanes, once seen solely as problems, become catalysts for progress through well-being and neuroarchitecture. This new perspective on ruins merges flexible spaces for research and healing, integrating laboratories, operating rooms, rest areas, medical consultation rooms, cultivation zones, and spaces for well-being and community living.

Technical information

The project is situated atop abandoned bunkers in Puerto Rico, constructed from reinforced concrete. Following this material logic, the new structure also utilizes concrete, featuring a façade that 'weeps,' creating a dynamic interplay of light through the building's porous surface—gradually overtaken by nature. In certain areas, insulating marble flooring is implemented as a protective measure against the presence of toxic elements.

Documentation

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