The project is located in Armenia : the corner–exposed neighbourhood of Teusaquillo, the district of Bogota. Both the theoretical study and research carried out on site lead to the discovery of certain problems the area is dealing with. Due to security issues the citizens tend to find the easiest but not necessarily most fit solutions to provide themselves safety. The amount of entirely closed off, fortress–like private properties is growing, creating extremely inefficient public spaces. Those ‘in-between’ areas paradoxically create less safe environment putting the inhabitants in dangerous, ghetto-like environment the moment they leave their ‘safety bubble’. This introversion of the area has an immediate impact on the quality of social life causing mistrust, lack of sense of belonging, co–ownership and shared responsibility. Armenia is an example of this kind of introversion both on the scale of a singular building and the district: located in the corner, it is totally cut off from the rest of the city by high speed roads –Avenida Caracas and Avenida El Dorado. The process of city planning seems to have prioritised the fast and efficient car transportation leaving Armenia left out and neglected.
New building comprises of multiple boxes stacked on top of each other and enclosed within structural frame. The solid, closed elements are elevated above the ground freeing the space underneath, where pedestrian circulation takes place. The ground floor level is completely open, accessible and unrestricted, working both as an extension of the building and as part of urban public space merging those two entities. Although enclosed within regular grid the assembly of elements is quite dynamic, providing variety of spatial experiences. The tallest and most dense areas of the building are located above the busiest pedestrian routes responding formally to circulation taking place on horizontal plane. The building gradually dissolves from its highest point towards the grounds surrounding it, touching finally to the pavement surface with the usage of platforms, allowing to access the building from different sides directly from the urban public areas.
Circulation among the boxes placed on four floors is provided by open air suspended walkways and platforms, creating unpredictable and rich in choices landscape of possibilities, allowing users to program their own experience within the building.