Wetland Vitality in Colombia

Landscape design for environmental recovery

Wetland Vitality in Colombia

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    Historically, urban development processes have reduced wetland areas and modified their natural border, affecting the ecosystem and its relationship with Bogotá’s ecological structure. Trails run along the edge of the wetland respecting its natural structure, allowing enjoyment, and understanding of the ecosystem while establishing a clear limit that will control further urban expansion.

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    Global Holcim Awards Silver and Holcim Awards Gold Latin America

    Winner presentation to Wetland Vitality - Landscape design for environmental recovery, Bogotá, Colombia (l-r): Harry Gugger, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, Principal of Harry Gugger Studio, and Professor Emeritus for Architectural & Urban Design, EPFL, Switzerland; Santiago Hurtado, Sebastián Mejia, and Edgar Mazo, Connatural, Medellín, Colombia; and Loreta Castro Reguera, Head of the Holcim Awards jury Latin America 2020, Design Director and Founder of Taller Capital, Mexico City.

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    Global Holcim Awards Silver and Holcim Awards Gold Latin America

    Winner presentation to Wetland Vitality in Colombia - Landscape design for environmental recovery (l-r): Hashim Sarkis, Head of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021; Erica Martinez, Edgar Mazo, Sebastián Mejia, Santiago Hurtado and Camila Angel of Connatural, Medellín, Colombia; Angelo Bucci, Member of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021 and Co-founder and Principal of spbr arquitetos, São Paulo, Brazil; and Loreta Castro Reguera, Head of the Holcim Awards jury Latin America 2020.

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    The project recognizes the wetland’s structure. It establishes a transition area between the city and the ecosystem, creating a linear park of 5.5 km that highlights and protects diversity of natural, cultural, and historical landscapes through careful interventions. Trails run along the edge of the wetland, respecting its natural structure, allowing for the enjoyment and understanding of the ecosystem while establishing a clear limit to control the expansion of the urban development.

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    Global Holcim Awards Silver and Holcim Awards Gold Latin America

    Presentation of the Global Holcim Awards Silver by Hashim Sarkis, Head of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021 to team (l-r): Erica Martinez, Edgar Mazo, Sebastián Mejia, Santiago Hurtado and Camila Angel of Connatural, Medellín, Colombia with Angelo Bucci, Member of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021 and Co-founder and Principal of spbr arquitetos, São Paulo, Brazil

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    Global Holcim Awards Silver and Holcim Awards Gold Latin America

    Sebastián Mejia, of Connatural, Medellín, Colombia responds to winning the Global Holcim Awards Silver with Lorena Castro Reguera, Head of the Holcim Awards jury Latin America 2020 Design Director and Founder of Taller Capital, Mexico City

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    Wetland Vitality in Colombia

    Ecological trail between the wetland and Bogotá River.

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    Natural qualities of wetland ecosystems.

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    Holistic analysis of current issues and design determinants.

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    Wetland Vitality in Colombia

    Ecological trail and urban furniture on recovered areas of the wetland.

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    The use of native vegetation, extending the concept of the VIVA Botanical Collection to the park.

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    Preservation: Reduce physical interventions and protect the ecosystem’s autonomous development

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    Recover: the identity of the places, articulating them to current needs and aspirations.

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    Strengthen: Enhance existing conditions and needs of local ecosystem, and spatial and cultural needs.

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    These breaks in the paths allow for “pauses” when journeying through the park.

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    Paths permit a spatial experience bringing you closer to nature and the history of Muisca people.

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    Wetland Vitality in Colombia

    Project main authors (l-r): Edgar Mazo and Sebastián Mejia from Connatural, Medellín, Colombia.

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    Work team. Connatural.

  • Awards Silver 2020–2021 Global
  • Awards Gold 2020–2021 Latin America

Jaboque Territory-Urban is a participative project focused on the integral recuperation of the water system located between the hills and the Bogotá River. The project aims to strengthen, make visible, and consolidate this system so that it becomes a shared and accessible space for local communities.

By Egdar Mazo, Sébastian Mejía - Connatural, Medellín, Colombia and

A central element of the project is the creation of a 5.5 km linear park that integrates recreational areas for passive use, as well as environmental, cultural, and historical zones with potential for educational activities. Recognising the critical relationship between the urban landscape and the wetland, and the importance of the Zones of Management and Environmental Preservation (ZMPA) as delicate transition areas between the city and the natural ecosystem, the project seeks to establish a positive and sustainable dialogue between nature and urban life.

Wetland Vitality in Colombia

Project authors

  • Global Holcim Awards Silver and Holcim Awards Gold Latin America
    Egdar Mazo

    Connatural

    Colombia

  • Global Holcim Awards Silver and Holcim Awards Gold Latin America
    Sébastian Mejía

    Connatural

    Colombia

  • LMVA
    Louis Maria Van Asten

    Connatural

    Colombia

  • Global Holcim Awards Silver and Holcim Awards Gold Latin America
    Santiago Hurtado

    Connatural

    Colombia

  • GA
    Gloria Aponte

    Connatural

    Colombia

Project Summary

Regenerating Jaboque: Restoring Ecology and Culture in an Urban Wetland

The landscape design proposal for an intervention in the Jaboque wetland in Bogotá recuperates a very delicate area of transition between the urban fabric and the natural ecosystem. The consolidation of the 157,000m2 wetland is achieved via a 5.5km-long linear park that integrates recreational and natural areas, and also offers educational opportunities for the community. The selection of plants for the landscape is determined by each species’ impact on the ecosystem and ability to strengthen wetland flora and fauna.

Wetland Vitality in Colombia

The project generates spaces for a relationship between inhabitants and the wetland.

The urban, environmental and landscape project thereby creates a live botanical collection that restores the ancestral values of plants that were made invisible by the trauma of colonization, while also contributing to the food security and economic viability of local populations. Beyond the benefits provided in the local context, the Jaboque Territory project also delivers a broader environmental contribution since wetlands are estimated to store over one-third of the world’s terrestrial carbon and their destruction has nefarious consequences at a planetary scale.

Jury Appraisal

Regional Jury Appraisal: Landscape as a Bridge Between Ecology and Community

The proposal was recognized by the jury as an outstanding example of how landscape design can be the most effective way to preserve a natural environment – in this case a wetland system – and to create a dialogue with the urban fabric and its inhabitants. The project’s adroit approach to move beyond an environmental recovery intervention to include a social dimension that also recovers the identity of place was very much appreciated. The intervention remediates an ecosystem type that is vital for human survival and also upgrades the local community’s quality of life by offering inspiring spatial and cultural opportunities. Despite the large dimension of the project, the Holcim Awards jury Latin America was very impressed by the level of detail provided in the proposal and the refinement of the landscape design. The quality of the drawings was also highly commended.

Wetland Vitality in Colombia

Ecological trail between the wetland and Bogotá River.

Global Jury Appraisal: Holistic Design with Lasting Social and Environmental Impact

This project integrates a wise, sustainable, pluralistic and participatory logic, aiming to repair a long-lost relationship between humans and nature through wetland restoration. The jury was impressed by the holistic approach of the project that includes actions of environmental, social, spatial and cultural order. The level of detail of the landscape design as well as the quantity of information underpinning it demonstrates the maturity and quality of the proposal while supporting the feasibility of the intervention. The jury recognized the high potential for transferability of the project that will be able to serve as a “knowledge bank” for future interventions of this kind. The educational purpose embedded in the intervention, aimed at the promotion of more ethical and socially inclusive practices, was also considered exemplary.

Project Updates

May 04, 2022 | Interview | Cordobá, Colombia

A New Interface Between Nature and the City

Wetland Vitality in Colombia

Explore how the Jaboque Territory-Urban project in Bogotá is transforming a fragile wetland into a vibrant, multifunctional public landscape. Recognised by the Holcim Awards for its integration of ecological restoration, community identity, and educational potential, the project offers a powerful example of how design can reconnect urban environments with the natural systems they depend on—while delivering social and cultural value to local communities.

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November 13, 2021 | Media Relase | Venice, Italy

Wetland Vitality Wins Global Silver in Holcim Awards 2021

Global Holcim Awards Silver and Holcim Awards Gold Latin America

The Holcim Foundation is proud to announce that Wetland Vitality in Bogotá, Colombia, has won the Holcim Foundation Awards 2021 Global Silver prize. Designed by Edgar Mazo, Sebastian Mejía, and the Connatural team, the project revitalises the Jaboque wetlands through a 5.5 km-long linear park that integrates ecological restoration, recreation, and education. By establishing a living botanical collection of native species, it strengthens biodiversity while reconnecting the community with cultural memory. Recognised for its research depth, inclusive design, and transferability, the jury praised it as a model for sustainable and resilient urban development.

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November 13, 2021 | Media Release | Venice, Italy

Wetland Vitality Wins Holcim Foundation Awards Gold for Latin America

Wetland Vitality in Colombia

The Holcim Foundation is pleased to announce that Wetland Vitality, a landscape restoration project in Bogotá, Colombia, has won Gold in the Holcim Foundation Awards for Latin America. Designed by Sebastian Mejía and the Connatural team, the project consolidates the Jaboque wetlands through a 5.5 km-long linear park that integrates ecological restoration, recreation, and education. Featuring a live botanical collection of native plants, the intervention re-establishes a symbiotic relationship between people and nature while strengthening biodiversity and cultural identity. The regional jury praised the project’s holistic and participatory approach, its depth of research, and its potential to serve as a model for climate-resilient urban development.

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Statements on Sustainability & CO₂ Lifecycle Assessment

  • Wetlands are essential for human survival. As part of the planet’s natural infrastructure, they host a complex interaction of physical, chemical, and biological elements that provide countless ecological services. Wetlands serve as waystations for migratory birds and support rich biodiversity, both plant and animal. They are vital sources of water that help regulate the local water cycle—mitigating flooding, enabling aquifer recharge, and maintaining hydrological balance. Wetlands also retain nutrients, sediments, and pollutants, naturally purifying water. Additionally, they contribute to stabilising local climates and play a key role in regulating the impacts of climate change.

  • The landscape design serves as an opportunity to create a living botanical collection, support the conservation of native flora, and foster on-site education and research into genetic heritage. Plant selection is guided by criteria such as taxonomic classification, ecological role, economic and cultural significance, and whether the species is native or well-adapted to the area. The vegetation is organised according to its ecological function—terrestrial, amphibious, or aquatic—and its capacity to strengthen the wetland ecosystem. The project also promotes the gradual replacement of non-native species with native ones through the creation of seed forests, encouraging natural succession and enhancing habitat for wetland fauna.

  • The project creates spaces that foster a meaningful relationship between local residents and the wetland. Archaeological artefacts are made visible alongside community gardens, which showcase plants significant to Muisca traditions—honouring ancestral knowledge that was long obscured by the trauma of colonisation. Positioned at the interface with the urban landscape, these gardens become transition zones that link cultural memory with contemporary use. They also support local food security and contribute to the regional economy. Given the wetland’s proximity to educational institutions, it also serves as a living environmental classroom, helping younger generations develop a sense of ownership and responsibility for its long-term preservation.

  • According to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, these ecosystems preserve significant amounts of carbon. When wetlands are degraded or destroyed, they release large quantities of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Preserving wetlands is therefore a vital strategy for maintaining existing carbon stores and avoiding unnecessary emissions. In fact, wetlands are estimated to contain around 10% of the world’s total carbon reserves. As natural carbon sinks, they play a critical role in transforming CO₂ into oxygen, contributing to improved air quality and supporting global climate stability.

Related information

Related Information

Location

pin Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia

Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia

News

Wetland Vitality in Colombia

Holcim Awards prize-winner interview

A new interface between nature and the city

Cordobá, Colombia

Global Holcim Awards Gold 2021

Media Release

Recognizing the many facets of sustainable construction

Venice, Italy

Wetland Vitality in Colombia

Media Release

Water as a central element

Venice, Italy

Videos

Wetland Vitality en Colombia – Descripción del Proyecto (en español)

Holcim Awards Global de Plata y Holcim Awards de Oro en Latinoamérica - Projecto de diseño paisajístico para recuperación ambiental y sustentabilidad social.

Wetland Vitality en Colombia – Descripción del Proyecto (en español)

Holcim Awards Global de Plata y Holcim Awards de Oro en Latinoamérica - Projecto de diseño paisajístico para recuperación ambiental y sustentabilidad social.

Wetland Vitality in Colombia – Author Comment

Author comment by Sébastian Mejía and Egdar Mazo of Connatural on Wetland Vitality in Colombia – Landscape design for environmental recovery.

Wetland Vitality in Colombia – Author Comment

Author comment by Sébastian Mejía and Egdar Mazo of Connatural on Wetland Vitality in Colombia – Landscape design for environmental recovery.

Wetland Vitality in Colombia – Project Overview

A landscape design for the recovery of a wetland in Bogotá creates environmental and social sustainability.

Wetland Vitality in Colombia – Project Overview

A landscape design for the recovery of a wetland in Bogotá creates environmental and social sustainability.