This exploration is based on the concept of the Arcology, developed by the Italian architect Paolo Soleri, who was aware that cities were not adequate for humans since they were perceived as something chaotic and detrimental to our well-being. As a consequence of his awareness, Soleri came up with Arcology (architecture + ecology): a concept for cities that presents an alternative to better, less disruptive ways of living, by letting nature and architecture intertwine.
While Soleri’s Arcology is defined by a number of factors - one of which is that it needs to be sited in the middle of an open and uncluttered landscape - this project explores the impact of an Arcology in the urban context of Bogota, Colombia. This exploration will allow us to see how the Arcology needs to change to fit its environment, the impact it causes to its surroundings, and how the experiences within this Arcology can better the user’s lives in an urbanistic and architectural manner; all of these will lead us to find - What is the Urban Arcology?
Kennedy, Bogota
Kennedy is an industrial zone in Bogota, many companies have their factories in this locality. The site is a 8,500,000 sqft green area filled with trees, and it is not accessible to the public. In the middle sits a beer factory that has been abandoned for more than 10 years. The city of Bogota has plans to redevelop this site, making this project relevant.
Arcology Conditions
- #2: Carrier of all the elements that make the physical life of the city possible.
- #4: Major vessel for massive f low of people and things.
- #7: The unmistakable expression of man the maker and man the creator. Arcology would be surrounded by
uncluttered and open landscapean urban context.
Street Configuration
One of the very strict conditions of this project is that there can’t be motor vehicles. This neighborhood promotes activty yet still offering a way of autonomous transportation that functions at a different layer separated from the pedestrians.
Green Spaces
Parks and green spaces promote wellbeing. Everyone should have easy access to greenery and this is a must for this neighborhood. The park includes spaces for activity and recreation, and the smaller pocket parks bring opportunities for meditation and community interactions.
In-between Spaces
A new way of dealing with alleyways and dead ends has been developed in this project, called in-between spaces. These are strategic points in the grid that become organic and present multi-use spaces that can benefit the immediate community and those transitioning through them.
The use can be proposed by neighbors and the possibilities are endless - restaurants, gardens, exhibitions, recreation, fairs, parks; they can satisfy the community’s needs.
Arcological Center
Arcologies need a central prominent structure that becomes the heart of the city. This building is meant to contain all the elements needed to live on a daily basis. It has private, semi-private, and public programs, as well as parks and an operable perforated skin.
This building is modular and can take different shapes and functions depending on the needs of the community, making this structure resilient and flexible.
Life in the Arcological Building
Conceptually the arcological building contains all the elements that make life possible, this section shows what this could mean and how these spaces interact between each other.
Impact
Arcology is a concept that grows inwards instead of outwards; it implodes, yet doesn’t explode. What if an Arcology placed in an urban context expands to change the negative aspects surrounding it? What if it brought modularity to the context adding a needed complexity to infrastructures? What if it made everything around it interconnect?
9 Factors of the Urban Arcology
- Must be placed in an Urban Context.
- Must be multi-level.
- Must carry all the elements that make life in cities possible.
- All services must happen underground.
- Must be a major vessel for mobility.
- Must include a focal structure that can be used as a reference and as a major acupunture point for the changes ocurring within the Arcology and its surroundings.
- The architecture whithin the Arcology must be diverse - not follow one typology and/or design.
- Must not be isolated from the urban context, and must have the ability to expand and reach spaces in need of an intervention.
- Must be self sustaining and provide (energy and food) for its immediate existing context
What is the Urban Arcology?
The Urban Arcology is a concept that branches out from Paolo Soleri’s Arcology; it seeks to explore its impact in an urban context rather than in an open and uncluttered landscape.
While cities have some positive aspects, including their convenience, diversity, and various activities, it also contains significant detrimental aspects, such as insecurity and lack of wellbeing. These being said, the Urban Arcology calls for a more humane way of living, functioning as a living organism that desires to grow and expand to reach urban communities with a need for change.
Gallery
