Project Entry 2014 for Latin America
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Project entry 2014 Latin America – Breathing Envelope: Vertically-stacked convention center and public spaces, Bogotá, Colombia
Ágora Bogotá is part of the major urban regeneration strategy of Corferias, the fair and exhibition complex of Bogotá. The initiative aims to develop the fairground towards the grand avenues close by, transforming an old industrial quarter into a new urban centrality in the geographical heart of the city. In order to liberate public space in the dense surroundings, the project seeks verticality in a compact building with a stacked program in five levels of meeting rooms, lobbies and service areas.
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Project entry 2014 Latin America – Breathing Envelope: Vertically-stacked convention center and public spaces, Bogotá, Colombia
The project employs an active breathing envelope in response to the city’s particular equatorial mountain climate. Different strategies have been developed with a diverse team of architects, engineers and consultants. Natural lighting and ventilation provide a level of comfort unparalleled in the convention center building type, with minimal energy consumption. Rainwater collection, landscaping and a permeable covering of the surrounding public space complement the set of sustainable strategies.
Last updated: March 31, 2014 Bogotá, Colombia
The new Ágora Bogotá (Bogotá International Convention Center) in Colombia will be unique. The program is stacked vertically to minimize the building’s footprint and to correspondingly maximize the surface area of outdoor public spaces in the heart of the city. Illuminated and ventilated naturally through an actively responding and acoustically sealed enclosure, the building features high levels of flexibility without compromising its architectural quality.
Daily fluctuations in temperature of up to 20°C require a specific approach to climate control. The project focuses on the optimization of natural ventilation and lighting, supported by refined control systems, to achieve optimal energy efficiency.
Progress: The equatorial mountain climate of Bogotá, with stable average temperatures (13.5°C) but high daily fluctuation (0 to 23°C), calls for a specific approach to climate control. Pursuing “free cooling”, a breathing glass façade captures fresh air, treats it acoustically, and by natural draft, circulates it through the building. The façade perspires, as its fairly high U-value (4.5 W/m2K) allows heat exchange. Ranges of screen prints provide low solar factors to critical areas and expose other areas to heat the building naturally. Temperature and CO2 sensors in the meeting rooms activate the motorized gills (Sp. branquias) which regulate air inlet and reveal the ventilation strategy. A weather station relates interior and exterior data, allowing the building to learn and improve its performance.
People: Initiated by a public-private partnership, Ágora Bogotá (Bogotá International Convention Center) aims to contribute to the economic, political and cultural development of the community, on local, regional and global scales. Its specific events, as well as the economic activity generated by its visitors, positions the complex as a powerful catalyst of urban and social change. The project draws on compactness and verticality to free-up missing public space for congregational and recreational use.
Planet: The project focuses on the optimization of natural ventilation and lighting, supported by refined control systems, to achieve optimal energy efficiency. The active façade offers low maintenance and a long life span. Native vegetation on the site enhances ecological corridors.
Prosperity: A convention center demands flexibility. The project favors vertical circulation, combines specialized and generic spaces and fits a varied event plan. A thorough cost and performance analysis resulted in minimum use of resources, without compromising the ambitious technical, architectural and environmental aspirations of the client.
Place: Ágora Bogotá settles in the midpoint of the city, halfway between the historic center and the airport. Expanding towards the main roads, the fairground district transforms an industrial area into a new centrality. Transparency is the primary aspect of the project, highlighting the structural over the decorative. Scarce materials, a continuous pavement, translucent ceilings and glass walls reveal its operation to the visitor. The concatenation of lobbies, halls, terraces and balconies mediate inside and outside and reveal the city’s view with its stunning mountain backdrop.