The Unbearable desire to Inhabit the Mountain: Manizales, Colombia | Architecture Thesis

Site Context

The distinct topographical features of Manizales create a discontinuity in how the city is perceived: it cannot be grasped in a single view. Understanding the city requires a fragmented approach, with each vantage point offering a unique perspective. Much like an Analytical Cubist painting, this results in a complex, geometric mental map, far removed from the straightforward, expansive view typical of a city like Bogotá. This characteristic demands a vernacular and intentional architectural response. As a result, towers emerge as the unifying elements within this landscape, serving as the means to weave together, dominate, and map the city by overcoming its visual barriers.

Manizales has faced this architectural challenge throughout various stages of its development, inherently employing height as a compositional strategy for city design. The key landmarks that define the city’s identity have lacked the horizontal space needed to dominate its scale. Consequently, a composition of towers has evolved, which, whether observed from the outside or utilized as lookout points, act as the cohesive elements within the landscape system.

Design Process

The design process began with a thorough analysis of the distinctive topographical and cultural aspects of Manizales, focusing on the city’s fragmented landscape and complex history. The first step was to understand how the urban fabric interacts with the natural environment, particularly in relation to the ruins of the San José project. This analysis laid the groundwork for a design that aimed to connect the city with the surrounding mountains while preserving the historical significance of the site.

The process then progressed by establishing three key principles: memory, infiltration, and landscape. Memory guided the project towards preserving the historical narrative of the ruins, while infiltration focused on creating a permeable boundary between the urban environment and the surrounding forest. The landscape was essential in positioning the tower within its natural and cultural context.

Guided by these principles, the design naturally incorporated the tower as both a visual and physical landmark. The decision to embrace the ruins and create compensatory spaces for the community was driven by the need to address the social impact of displacement. Finally, the integration of the tower into a broader network of urban viewpoints echoed the city’s tradition of using vertical elements to navigate its fragmented geography, establishing the tower as a central feature in the urban landscape.

Final Outcome

The tower acts as both a physical and symbolic bridge, connecting the past and future, the urban and natural environments, and the fragmented elements of Manizales’ landscape and history. It addresses the architectural and social challenges posed by the city’s unique topography and the legacy of the San José project, envisioning a future where the ruins are preserved as part of the city’s heritage and where new development honors the complex narrative of the site.

Should the city adopt a stance of repentance, memorializing the history and violence of displacement through architecture that refuses to let us forget? Should we lay down a green carpet and erase the memory of what occurred? Should we exploit the city’s limited flat land for a golf course or offer it to real estate developers for luxury towers? How many viewpoints, parks, reserves, and gates of San José can this land sustain?

No. Any architectural intervention must honor the responsibility society demands of us: to be stewards of this material heritage, preserving the ruins while ensuring that the narrative of what happened and the lives of those who lived here are not forgotten. The value of safeguarding these ruins will only increase with time. This is an opportunity to create a project of metropolitan scale that positions Manizales as a key center in the Coffee Axis, without losing sight of why it was undertaken in the first place.

Conclusion: The project presents a thoughtful and intentional response to the complex history and unique topography of Manizales. Guided by principles of memory, infiltration, and landscape, the design ensures that the site’s history is honored, creates a permeable connection between the urban and natural environments, and thoughtfully situates the tower within its geographical context. 

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]