International Architecture Awards Tell a friend
ARCHIVE 2024
International Architecture Awards
Architects: aRE-Arquitectura en estudio
Design Team: Carlos Núñez, Camilo Garavito, Natalia Heredia, and Damián Quintero
Associate Architects: OPUS diseño - arquitectura – paisaje
Design Team: Manuel Jaén Posada, Carlos Andrés, Betancur, Carlos David Montoya, Carlos A. Cano Bedoya, Santiago López P. Mateo, Marín Mejía, and Melissa Barrios
General Contractor: C&G ingeniería y construcciones
Client: Instituto Distrital de Recreación y Deporte / Secretaría de cultura
Photographers: Jairo Llano
The design strategy of the Cultural and Sports Center Las Cometas strives to achieve a harmonious integration with its natural and urban environment. First, the building adapts to the existing topography, involving a careful setting out of its levels and a subtle modification of the land in order to create continuity between the park and the buildings. The shape of the mountain is slightly modified to house the sports and cultural activities proposed in the architectural program. The roofs of the built elements become public spaces that extend the usable areas. This strategy not only aims to use the land efficiently but also contributes to enhancing the visuals of the city and providing the correct functionality for the space.
The site was originally divided in two, split by a narrow piece of land that houses a main pipe of the city's water system, where the border between the park and the city is defined. Responding to this condition, the proposal sets out the sports program in the upper part of the site, related to the park, and the cultural program in the lower edge, facing the city. They are both connected by means of a bridge that highlights this unique condition of the site and provides a seamless transition between the park and the city. The building becomes a meeting point, providing public spaces that can house activities and events and be used even when the park is closed. The proposal is thought of as an itinerary of views, a sequence that frames and highlights the spectacular sights over the city and its mountains. The buildings are conceived as parts of a route, fragmented into two independent volumes connected by the bridge, offering an experience of diverse paths, unfolding a repertoire of viewpoints, stairs, courtyards, and a plaza, integrating with the natural environment of the park. The structure becomes the façade, set out using a module of 2.70m for both buildings, providing rationality and ease of construction The sports building is built using concrete, the cultural building using steel, both following the same rationality and aesthetic expression.
The deep structural elements that build up the façades also work as solar control, protecting the interior from excessive thermal gains while allowing natural light to enter the building. Ventilation is enhanced with a scheme of courtyards and skylights that allow for permanent natural cross ventilation. Green roofs are used as insulation for interior spaces, also contributing to rainwater collection and reduction of the urban heat island effect. Put together, these strategies and considerations form an integral and sustainable architectural design that aims not only at achieving functional efficiency but also deep integration with the environment and the community.
