2024
MCHAP
Bolombolo: Centro de servicios productivos de Bolombolo
Giancarlo Mazzanti
Bolombolo, Antioquia, Colombia
December 2023
PRIMARY AUTHOR
Gian Carlo Mazzanti Sierra (Founding architect of El Equipo Mazzanti)
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
Contra Fuerte Arquitectura (collaborating office), Julian Villescas (Architect), Nicolas Sanchez (Architect), Diana Castiblanco (Architect)
CLIENT
Covipacifico
PHOTOGRAPHER
Lina Valencia - Julian Villescas
OBJECTIVE
We propose the implementation of a territorial and local action model aimed at promoting the development of social capital through the articulation of three variables: Physical transformation by enhancing tangible and intangible virtues, institutional partnerships between public-private sectors, and community development through citizen participation and deliberation.
To achieve this objective, the following stages have been developed:
1. Community engagement, with the project stemming from social and spatial analysis through visits to the site and dialogues with the inhabitants of Bolombolo.
2. Development of a comprehensive proposal, where institutional alliances were forged and a project was proposed that integrated various project stakeholders.
3.Proposal execution, through simultaneous development of the construction alongside proposed community programs.
The project is part of a series of buildings that were officially established by law as necessary for the country’s road infrastructure, with its predecessor being the CCO La Pintada, where monthly activities have been carried out with the community of La Pintada and public-private institutions for the past 3 years. The ultimate goal of connecting these buildings through activities is to create a chain of spaces for the rural community that generates interest in visitors to explore the country’s hard infrastructure not only to reach a city but also to travel with the purpose of getting to know, enjoy, and learn from Colombia’s rural areas.
CONTEXT
Traditionally, road infrastructure has been utilized to enhance physical connectivity in order to improve market functioning, or with a limited focus, such as connecting mines or ports. However, corridors can be leveraged for smarter planning initiatives aimed at improving agricultural opportunities, achieving explicit goals such as:
(i) rural job creation
(ii) environmental objectives
(iii) catalyzing better governance along value chains, all of which are necessary to stimulate inclusive and sustainable growth in the developing world.
How do we transition from road infrastructure designed exclusively to fulfill logistical objectives (connecting point A to point B only) to a network of productive and sustainable corridors, capable of:
(i) mitigating climate change
(ii) adapting to the geographical, social, and cultural virtues of its context
(iii) generating economic and social development
Through the proposal of a project that integrates objectives with all participating agents, including humans, animals, plants, and climate. The project becomes a viewpoint and, due to its height, a “beacon” that showcases the area and invites the community to explore it through its tower adorned with a sample of regional vegetation, promoting environmental awareness while opening space for the rural market, enabling different agents to coexist within the building.
PERFORMANCE
The recently completed construction project brings together a service platform for the highway, as well as a market plaza, a multipurpose space, a restaurant, service and emergency areas, highway officials’ offices, a biodiversity exhibition and tasting center, serving also as a grand viewpoint. At this moment, the project is in the phase of occupying the viewpoint.
This infrastructure will be adorned with native vegetation along with corresponding information to promote nature conservation and the various ecosystems native to Antioquia, serving as a showcase of the region’s biodiversity.
The project is planning activities to not only serve as a space for highway users but also to encourage people to stop and learn about the cultural richness of the rural area, through the market, tastings, landscape contemplation, and learning about the history of the Antioquia region. This complements the ongoing activities of the CCO La Pintada, also an office project, which has been operating for 3 years and generating community activities monthly.
So far, the project has been developed as expected, including architectural design considerations aimed at not requiring active climate conditioning systems, achieved through the utilization of natural ventilation throughout the building. Additionally, the installation of furniture by the client is awaited for the occupation and initiation of activities within the building.
