Urban Transition 02

[ re-adapting an industrial sector into a livable neighbourhood ] Bogotá | COLOMBIA

The current decaying industrial landscape of Puente Aranda district, located in the city of Bogotá, Colombia, nowadays, demands new urban transformations regarding the inhabitants needs for housing and equiped space for urban life.

The goal of this intervention was to adress the current problematic of a traditional industrial sector in the city of Bogotà, Colombia, which is facing a radical urban transition into a contemporary residential neighborhood.

Through the analysis of the main critical issues and the identification of the site potentialities, related to mobility, urban morphology, building conditions, green and gray infrastructure and ultimately, the distribution of commercial economical activities, the project proposes, a contemporary, liveable and healthier neighborhood supported by diverse urban processes like requalification, re-use of existing structures, conservation and introduction of new interventions

The site was analized working three urban scales: macro-scale level to understand Bogota city dynamics and its relationship with the sector, a mesoscale level to figure out which are the main issues and features in the area and which priority/hierarchy assign to each one of them, tracing in this way a site working borderline and finally, a micro-scale level was worked to propose a masterplan solution, in a closer level to address firstly, the main critical issues identified and conceiving a short, medium, and a long term general planning for the rest of the area.

Due to the departure of industrial activity from the area and the transformation into a residential neighborhood, the history, tradition and image of the sector must be maintained in the spatial area but, at the same time, must be mixed with a new character of compacity to the site that will bring solutions to the current problems of a mono-use district that ultimately is creating problems of insecurity, lack of public spaces, etc.

Main borderlines guide

The overlapping of the gray, blue and green infrastucture, land-uses and Sand Andresito buildings district gave clues of how to define a general border for the site intervention. The current elements that created a sharp border between this area and the rest of Puente Aranda sector considers how to transform these features from threaths and barriers to elements that potentiate the features of the site like compacity and multi-landuses in open and closes spaces, increasing of green areas, more efficient mobility and accesibility inside and within the sector and finally, San Andresito as the starting point and referent of the new sector image construction.

In general terms, the occupation strategy proposal, considers the conservation of already existing buildings and the re-use of certain buildings with relevant features to be integrated in a general masterplan proposal, that also contemplates the incorporation of new building blocks and minor densification processes that faces the urban transition of an industrial sector into a residential vibrant neighbourhood.

16.3% 16.9% 17.7% 2.2%

Conservation of existing structures: Considering certain factors like, number of building stories, physical conditions, internal functioning and current use. Some buildings are considered to be kept within the new urban proposal for Puente Aranda sector and San Andresito district but the design incorporates the current buildings in the general proposal.

Re-use of existing structures: Buildings with important features, like identity, facades, historical character, location or good condition of internal structure are selected to be integrated to the general masterplan proposal, although, considering some changes in the current internal use or some physical modifications to the building in order to be adjusted with the new needs of the contemporary neighborhood.

Construction of new interventions: In order to provide new public spaces and green areas for users, demolition of buldings in bad conditions or incompatible with the general urban proposed is needed. Nevertheless, the need of built areas for new multi-purpose areas, densification and integration with existing and re-use existing structures would guarantee a livable neighborhood for current and new users of the district.

The study of the street situation in the site, its current hierarchy and roads typologies have to be understood in order to be properly redefined. The change of streets character is now defined depending on specific features like physical borders, barriers, dimensions, location within the study site and landuse predominant activities.

Garden Streets

Proposed as the strategical place for collective experiences from a local streetscape perspective. These streets which dimensions and current hierarchy (local level) are conceived as “miniature greenbelts” where traditional “private neighborhood gardens” are now also part of the public space.

Main Streets

These new typology of streets have an important role in the general proposal for the district, since are the ones in charge to define the borders of the ultimately new superblocks. These streets also deal with the motervehicle free circulation within the district and provide more space for cyclists and pedestrians.

Border Streets

The site has to face different kind of borders, natural barriers like the water chanel and artificial devices, like Transmilenio closer stops. In this order of ideas, it is important to give to the streets an special treatment where hierarchy and character may vary depending on each features and location condition.

The landuse of the new, conservated and re-used building and vacant spaces may be redefined as well, following as main goal, the transformation of mono blocks to multi-purpose blocks with a more compact behaviour, where blocks have more diverse uses than only dwelling or working, providing in this sense, a more dynamic and vibrant life within the blocks during different day and night hours, increasing levels of security, social outdoors interaction and gathering scenarios for commerce, urban and social life

From mono-use blocks

To multi-purpose blocks