The living landscape. Shapes and places among rio Tunjuelo

The study of the circular form is the basis of our design intervention. The circular architecture, which lends itself to dialogue with nature, aims to give a new image to the morphology and hydrography of Usme through punctual interventions that shape the river park along the banks of the rio Tunjuelo.

The morphology and the hydrography of the territory suggested, however, the structoring idea: define a river park along the banks of the river Tunjuelo, river that characterizes the area and is the most important water resource of Bogotà. The path along the green axis is a natural walk and it allows the definition of places where people meet, aggregate and get to know the area. Along the river park architectures arise, punctual and spread in succession: a water tower, located at the highest point of the project area, a square/market, place of encounter and exchange, and a water tank, located at the lowest altitude. Individual projects work together functionally: the water tower, distributes the water drawn from the tank, to the surrounding homes and to the whole intervention project in its complexity. In this way, the architecture, the river and the green, coexist within the area, helping to define a complete and self-sufficient system, a circuit of elements which coexists well with the idea of circular shape, creator of architectural projects. It is good to keep in mind that Usme is a poor localidad which developed informally as a result of migration from the countryside to the city. In this context, we perceive the urban and environmental importance of the river Tunjuelo, a tributary of the river Bogotà; the river Tunjuelo crosses the mountain town, but instead of being used as a resource and seen as a territorial wealth, it becomes at times an open dump, whereas in others disappears. The localidad presents a strong fragmentation of the urban fabric, caused by unregulated and unauthorised constructions; this issue could be stopped and cured, for example, through the design of public spaces and the integration of the same with the riverfront of the river Tunjuelo.