Faced with a regular urban fabric of elongated blocks, a narrow lot and strict regulations regarding heights, overhangs and setbacks, we proposed a building that crosses the block from north to south. We designed a "U" shaped floor plan, leaving a central patio open to the existing pedestrian walkway on the west side. In this way, the building offers the city a new semi-public space, simultaneously generating adequate lighting and natural ventilation conditions for the rooms without a façade facing the street. We located the technical zones and vertical circulations in a strip along the east side, thus controlling the afternoon sun and freeing the north, south, and west faces for the 84 rooms. The building program consists of a technical basement, a first access level with restaurants and a double-height lobby, five levels of rooms and a terrace with recreational spaces and a swimming pool. The first three levels of rooms are single-story units, and the last two are two-story units. Among the 84 units are corner rooms, street-facing rooms, courtyard-facing rooms, terrace rooms and balcony rooms. We proposed a building with the typical materials of the city of Medellin -exposed brick and concrete- and designed the balconies as prefabricated pieces in gray concrete, anchored to a secondary structure, generating a deep and shaded façade suitable for tropical climate.
View Original