Sep '06 - Dec '09
What is it about vacations that as soon as you start having fun you get sick? This time in Bogota I wanted to do a tour of Rogelio Salmona's work, but instead I was bedridden for most of my last week there. I will leave that for my to-do list in my next trip. I did, however, get out to a couple of his projects.
Bogota Brick
As you look out into the Bogota skyline one thing stands out: brick. It may be Bogota's cold climate and cheap labor but everything seems to be made out of this material. 
Sometimes it can be used in a beautifully as in the Torres del Parque by Rogelio Salmona.
Bogota Movement
The other thing that may characterize this city is that because of its huge size mobility is very important. Bogota is now a case study for two of its mobility solutions; the Transmilenio* and the Ciclorutas.
*I find it also interesting that Giancarlo Mazzanti, the designer of Parque Biblioteca España also designed the pedestrian bridges and infrastructure for the Transmilenio.
Finally, I visited the newly finished Gabriel Garcia Marquez Community Center, Rogelio Salmona's last project and a cultural gift by Mexico to Colombia. The building's plan is in the shape of an 8, with the paths and the two plazas being by far the most important part of the building. This building (located in the political, cultural, and historical heart of the city) felt somehow very Bogotanian a building of constant mobility that hearkens back at the colonial model of patio-houses.
Cannot wait to finish the Salmona tour next time, I really love the work.
2 Comments
great post Quilan, hope to visit them works someday myself, saludos ..m1
looking good! i have a long overdue visit to colombia.
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