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A space dedicated to the exchange of ideas, and the discussion of questions of public interest
A family of volumes, each with their own character, and each designed to house a particular use of space.
A place of assembly for the people.
Our project begins with the assumption that public space--designed for, and dedicated to the open source consumption of a neighborhood--has the power to transform, empower, and enrich a community. We see this to be a valuable asset in Colombian culture, and a need expressed by the City of Bogota.
Inspired by the library parks we currently see appearing throughout the country, we challenge the notion that great urban public space exists primarily as a manipulation of the ground plane in the [formal and informal] voids between important commercial, civic, or institutional architecture, also known as the urban plaza.
The proposed design is an architecture of public rooms, organized as a family of volumes. Each space is carefully crafted for a specific desnsity, scale, and type of assembly, making community use probable, rather than just possible. Clay, a material with cultural significance, is used to create a character of permanence. This brick forum aims to create a cohesive identity for the site, recognized and claimed by the people of Bogota in the hopes of repairing and regrowing a commuity.