COMMUNITY HUB - ALTOS DE LA FLORIDA | Mattia Mangia

Altos de la Florida, is an informal settlement located as peripherical of the municipality of Soacha in Cundinamarca. The settlement itself, has been developed after the mobilization and migration of people ho become IDP (internally displaced people) mainly because of internal conflicts. In the years, several organization has developed interests in the social and health conditions of the area, involving PNUD Colombia, IDMC, PRUV, United Nations and Jesuits. The urban structure is based on settlements obtained mainly with the use of easily available materials such as bricks, metal sheets, forming a system of secondary roads that start from a main ridge. The presence of some commercial activities as well as a small number of structures serving the community, associated with water supply problems despite a climate that foresees half the days of the year with abundant rain, have helped to develop concept: A Community Hub, (total surface is 48sqm) self-sufficient and able to contribute to the water supply for a portion of the residents, who often have to ration water, awaiting the arrival of the weekly water tank. Given the demographic analysis, the users of the hub would be mainly in the adult and young-adult segment, for this reason the is designed as a flexible structure, with small dimensions that is able to connect an internal environment with an external one with a common language: Activities, Events, Art, Culture, Entertainment.

The structure stands on a flat portion of the hill on which the settlement is located, on the edge of a steep portion overlooking the municipality of Soacha, with the possibility of admiring Bogota in the distance. In fact, the structure looks like a telescope, which, directed towards the capital, offers a privileged view, placing the hilly environment within the frame of a magnificent naturalistic painting. Here the external staircase offers the opportunity to carry out various outdoor activities: performances such as theater, singing, music; the possibility of painting in the open air, reading or eating food in the community. The building, on the other hand, built with low-tech principles, consists of a 4x4m quadrangular plan, in double-headed brick reinforced in the corners by reinforced concrete pillars. Inside there is an auditorium, an intimate space where the equivalent of the activities carried out outside can be carried out, but with a different degree of comfort. In the back, the toilets, adjacent to the water collection system. Here a 1000L tank is able to collect rainwater, then ensuring its distribution up to a certain level for consumption purposes, while in the excess (if rainfall is generous) for the hygiene of the toilets. The ventilation of the environment also exploits low-tech principles, through the use of a roof that guarantees ventilation of the froofing, together with a natural waterproofing which constitutes the first level of insulation. A second level of ventilation is guaranteed thanks to the flow of air inside the building, thanks to the presence of perforated bricks that guarantee a perpetual exchange of air.