Office: Alsar Atelier | ArchDaily

The Embellished, the Transient, and the Critical Installation / Alsar Atelier

Valentina Díaz — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

In the first months of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic evolved from a localized infectious disease into a chronic global emergency. The bizarre took over human existence, and everyday life was transported into a state of magical realism. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez describes how the town of Macondo was subject to strange phenomena, such as the overnight proliferation of rabbits that paved public spaces with small animals, or the sudden fall of leaves carpeting the streets in green within hours. During the pandemic, these strange phenomena were not far from human reality: animals reclaimed urban spaces during mandatory quarantines, and streets transformed into vibrant communal areas filled with greenery and public life in a short period of time.

The Memory of the River / Alsar Atelier + SCRD + El Lider S.A.S + INGEACERO

Valentina Díaz — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

"The Memory of the River" is a project located at the intersection of public art and ephemeral architecture, conceived as a transitory infrastructure capable of reactivating urban spaces in the city of Bogotá through cultural uses. The initiative arises from the Secretariat of Culture, Recreation and Sports (SCRD) with Secretary Santiago Trujillo, the Director of Art, Culture, and Heritage Diego Parra, and structured by the Subdirectorate of Infrastructure and Cultural Heritage of the Secretariat, led by Edgar Figueroa, with a team composed of: Edgar Bernal, Emmanuel Guerra, Juliana Mendoza, Diego Rodríguez, and Juan Sebastián Robayo. They advocate for a temporary intervention—instead of a permanent one—as a strategy to decentralize cultural uses and allow different neighborhoods in the city to host their activities.

Hydroponics Module/ Alsar Atelier + Oscar Zamora + Cesar Salomon + Yazmin Crespo

Andreas Luco — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 15:00:00 +0000

The project supports initiatives led by community leaders and local organizations, such as Cesar Salomón, Fondacio Altos del Cabo, and Maya Tejedores de la Tierra, who have been cooperating, collaborating, and participating for seven years in the informal neighborhood of San Luis in Bogotá. These collaborations have impacted hundreds of residents and have supported the hydroponic agriculture initiative as an alternative for healthy nutrition in Bogotá’s self-built contexts, where the most prevalent diseases tend to be obesity and diabetes.

Growing Shade Community Space / Alsar Atelier + Northeastern University School of Architecture

Hadir Al Koshta — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 02:00:00 +0000

Like most urban environments, Cambridge is subject to the inevitable effects of climate change and seemingly growing socioeconomic inequities within urban planning of the public realm. These phenomena often affect communities living in neighborhoods that were not originally planned for high population density and lack shaded infrastructure for their inhabitants during the summer months.

Lab Mobile / Alsar Atelier + SCA

Andreas Luco — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Many of the urban limits of Bogota, Colombia, are typical examples of informal/ self-built environments. Constructed in stages, these environments have multiple social conditions that create a diverse range of phenomena. First, citizens in a state of homelessness invade the land and build the first structures with found materials. As these settlements become permanent residences, a basic urban grid is loosely defined. As the city densifies, government aid is present, but the reclamation of public space is increasingly difficult, underscoring a chronic issue within these environments.

Atomizing the Free Plan Installation / Alsar Atelier

Benjamin Zapico — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 16:00:00 +0000

In the heart of the Harvard University campus lies the iconic Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, a testament to Le Corbusier's architectural vision. However, within its walls, an installation challenges the very essence of Corbusian design, igniting a dialogue between its ideals and a reinterpreted tropical perspective.

Inversive Enclosure Installation / Alsar Atelier + Oscar Zamora + Karim Saleh Studio (KSS) + Pietro Mendonca

Benjamin Zapico — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0000

"Inversive Enclosure" is one of the four installations designed in 2023 for the First Arts Festival at Harvard University. With the support of the Office of the Arts, this installation is located in Harvard Yard, which is not only the oldest section but also the symbolic heart of the campus. Inspired by the mathematical concept of three-dimensional inverse geometry, the project seeks to capture the essence of its immediate environment through reflection and inversion on the surfaces.

A Community Built Fog Catcher / Alsar Atelier + Oscar Zamora + César Salomón + SCA

Pilar Caballero — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 14:00:00 +0000

In the informal neighborhood of San Luis, a community-built project has emerged, showcasing the power of collaboration and innovation. The project is an inhabitable prototype designed to harvest fog water and promote urban agriculture practices in the informal environments of Colombia. The project was made possible through the collaborative effort of Alsar-Atelier, Oscar Zamora, Caesar Salomon, the Colombian Society of Architects, and the participation of local community members.

Invisible Architecture Installation / Alsar Atelier + Henry Guadrón

Andreas Luco — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 01:00:00 +0000

The public realm, by definition, should be a shared place that holds egalitarian respect between users. In the Latin American context, given the great social inequities present in it, public space tends to be a place where the minorities are affected by problems that are often "invisible" to a large portion of the urban population.

Wasteland Pavilion / Alsar Atelier + SCA

Agustina Coulleri — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 16:00:00 +0000

Ephemeral architecture has infinite opportunities for the creation of conscious interventions that have a positive impact on society and the environment. Unfortunately, in contemporary society, ephemeral architecture is mainly used for trade fairs, leaving this architectural typology as a negative symptom of global consumerism.

Scale Less Installation / MoBo + Alsar Atelier + GB Urban Studio

Valeria Silva — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Two young Colombian architecture studios, Mo.Bo. and Colab-19, have designed an innovative hempcrete installation in London to pay tribute to Rogelio Salmona (1929 – 2007), arguably the most influential architect in Colombian history.

La Concordia Amphitheater / Taller Architects + SCA + Alsar Atelier + GB Urban Studio

Valeria Silva — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 18:00:00 +0000

As a continuation of the initiative of the Bogotá mayor's office to generate economic reactivation interventions, the design team called by the Colombian Society of Architects carried out the design of the La Concordia Amphitheater.

Temporary Chapel Alhambra's Cross / Sociedad Colombiana de Arquitectos + Alsar Atelier + GB Urban Studio

Valeria Silva — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000

The people of the Colombian capital saw themselves losing hope in the idea of in-person Easter celebrations as the prospects of a third wave of Covid-19 cases intensified. Colombian culture at large is fundamentally religious, and social distancing measures in response to the pandemic have affected the religious community in particular with the prohibition of large congregations. Believers have seen themselves disconnected from their faith and churches have gone into economic crisis.

Installation Activación Vertical / Taller Architects + SCA + Alsar Atelier + GB Urban Studio

Pilar Caballero — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 01:00:00 +0000

The Initiative
No one was really prepared for the effects that this pandemic was going to have on the world. Some countries have handled it better than others, but no one has escaped unharmed. The case of Latin America has been especially critical. While great efforts were made to contain the contagion and quarantine was entered long before many other regions of the world, the numbers continued to rise and one month of mandatory isolation turned into five. Colombia has had one of the longest mandatory isolations in the world and that has hit the restaurant sector hard. They were the first to close and the last sector to open again.