University of Los Andes Public Space and Integrated Care Center / Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos

University of Los Andes Public Space and Integrated Care Center / Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos - More Images+ 18

  • Design Team: Eduardo Varela. Daniel Feldman. Paula Gutiérrez. María Paula Gonzales. Alexander Roa. Nicolás Mujica. Mauricio Méndez
  • Estudiantes: Aixa Navas. Jorge Paparoni. Pablo Grossmann. David Caballero. Oljer Cárdenas. Ana Gómez
  • Site Supervision: Payc
  • Structural Design: P&D
  • Bio Climatic Consultant : Arquitectura y Bioclimática
  • Lighting: María Teresa Sierra Consultoría de Iluminación y Cía
  • Landscape Design: Diana Wiesner
  • Owner: Universidad de los Andes
  • City: Bogota
  • Country: Colombia
More SpecsLess Specs
© Rodrigo Dávila

Text description provided by the architects. More than a building project is a construction operation of urbanism; and although it initially started as the development of an integrated care building for the University, it soon became a project of public space, urban design and integration with the La Candelaria neighboorhood. This was made possible by a joint operation of "public" space and three buildings (Integrated Care Center - CAI, entryway to the eastern sector and coffee area), where the main objective was to seep the public space in between buildings, weaving a new project.

Planta Piso 1

University of Los Andes Public Space and Integrated Care Center / Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos - More Images+ 18

The open public space was designed as an enhancement to the existent urban layout, but when characterizing it as a public space for meeting, and by taking advantage of the existent configuration of the buildings, we blurred the idea of a walled street, and instead designed a stepped plaza that meets the different access points, and the urban layout with a prominent sloped topography.

© Rodrigo Dávila

We thus designed ramps, staircases and flat sub-spaces that as a whole promote meeting and rest in formal and informal ways. This new space of cohesion is the product of a design that evokes the old space in front of the architecture library inside the university, but in this case, as it has no access controls, it becomes a public space even though it is private in its ownership.

Corte AA

As the predominant material we use bricks, creating a dominant monochrome, which is extremely versatile and allows us to design steps, steep planes and flat areas. So, the unbuilt project is consolidated with a landscape operation where the flow is always continuous through Yarumos that give shade and gardens that appear between the cobblestones and buildings. Similarly, it clarifies and enhances the opaque party wall of a neighbor, with a vertical garden, which consolidates the landscape of the whole.

© Rodrigo Dávila

Regarding the building, we use a basement material to harmonize the diversity of scales and typologies (Access vs CAI vs cafe). Weathering steel allows us to develop different types of buildings, which through the materiality retain a thread that allows them to be read as a whole. For the Center for Integrated Care, we propose a nearly cubic prismatic volume, with a perforated facade, creating a filled-void rhythmic and variable relationship through the alternation of concrete walls with an earth color (trying to mimic the earth walls) and the floor to ceiling windows.

Of course the buildings and the public space are proposed with sustainability and stability parameters of the time.

© Rodrigo Dávila

Project gallery

See allShow less

Project location

Address:Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia

Click to open map
Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "University of Los Andes Public Space and Integrated Care Center / Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos" [Espacio “Público” y Centro de Atención Integrada Universidad de Los Andes / Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos] 03 Dec 2014. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/571585/university-of-los-andes-public-space-and-integrated-care-center-daniel-bonilla-arquitectos> ISSN 0719-8884

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.