Salgar Reconstruction Project / Taller Síntesis + Ana Elvira Vélez

Curated by Danae Santibañez

Architects: Ana Elvira Vélez, Taller Síntesis
Area: 17900 m²
Year: 2017
Photographs:Isaac Ramírez
Manufacturers: Bloque de cemento, Cemento, Enchapes cerámicos, Juegos infantiles, Mesones acero inoxidable
Lead Architects: Ana Elvira Vélez, Farhid Maya Ramírez, Lucas Serna Rodas, David Cuartas Restrepo.

Text description provided by the architects. Salgar is a Colombian municipality with approximately eighteen thousand inhabitants, located in a long and narrow valley through which the stream "La Liboriana" flows. On May 18, 2015, due to heavy rains, a landslide occurred that affected the urban area of the municipality and the district "Las Margaritas," destroying homes and infrastructure in its path. The figures from this tragedy were:

93 dead.
1,397 affected.
384 houses were destroyed.
17 bridges destroyed.

In response to this event, a public-private initiative was launched, involving the government as well as important private foundations from the department of Antioquia, which formed a group that coordinated a prevention plan for future disasters and a reconstruction plan for the municipality's infrastructure and housing.

Salgar Reconstruction Project / Taller Síntesis + Ana Elvira Vélez - Image 15 of 45 — La Pradera. Image © Isaac Ramírez

The latter began with the characterization of those affected by the landslide and a diagnosis of local housing, integrating traditions into the homes that would be developed, thus allowing for community participation that informed the urban and architectural design processes. This social work continued until the completion of the project to ensure appropriation of the spaces. As part of this plan, a series of analyses were conducted, which yielded the following conclusions:

Limited urban growth due to the narrow, linear shape formed by the stream and mountains of the municipality.
A need for new centers on each side of the municipality's main park, away from the flood protection zone of the stream.
Identification of land strips suitable and free from flood and landslide threats for housing development, and close to existing facilities to ensure adequate services for the homes.
To leverage and reconnect the existing facilities in each of the selected sectors.
To carry out a series of interventions in different areas of the municipality to enhance the impact of the operation: remodeling the park, constructing pedestrian and vehicular bridges, and remodeling the nursing home, among others.

After reviewing these analyses, three simultaneous projects were developed, involving the construction of 309 housing units—54 rural and 255 urban—where priority was given to decisions based on their socio-spatial value rather than solely on economic considerations.

Thus, four typologies are defined in the urban area and one in the rural area. Through different groupings, they generate a variety of buildings that adapt to the topography and urban form. Each typology also incorporates an additional space that serves as a social and environmental connector: a gallery, corridor, balcony, or terrace.

La Habana – 42 Housing Units. The project seeks to adapt to the site's particular conditions. The plot, with an irregular geometry, consists of a small plateau connected to a sports facility, descending with a moderately steep slope toward the main road and finally to a ravine. To address these conditions, we designed a project consisting of three linear bands that settle into the terrain, following the contour lines. This approach allows each housing unit to enjoy the surrounding landscape.

La Florida – 186 Housing Units. The largest of the three projects is located at the main entrance to the municipality's urban area. It is developed on an elongated lot with generally steep slopes, approximately 3.2 hectares in size. The intervention aims to strengthen both the access road to Salgar and a pedestrian street that connects the thirteen blocks included in the proposal. Two building typologies have been proposed: one featuring a gallery-type layout and another with a central core, ensuring diversity and richness within the urban ensemble. This variety is also reflected in the buildings' height, ranging from two levels in the blocks closest to the access road to Salgar to four levels in the blocks situated deeper within the project.

Salgar Reconstruction Project / Taller Síntesis + Ana Elvira Vélez - Image 18 of 45 — La Florida. Image © Isaac Ramírez

La Pradera – 50 Housing Units. Developed on a beautiful three-hectare strip of rural land in the Las Margaritas district, one of the areas most affected by the avalanche. The site features an internal road providing access to coffee farms and has a moderate slope throughout the terrain.

Salgar Reconstruction Project / Taller Síntesis + Ana Elvira Vélez - Image 30 of 45 — La Pradera. Image © Isaac Ramírez

The house consists of two offset cores that create two distinct outdoor areas: an entrance patio with a covered porch overlooking the valley and a rear service patio. Additionally, the design reinterprets the traditional color palette of the region's rural homes. Each 60 m² house sits on a 260 m² lot, providing space for gardens and small crops, preserving the rural essence characteristic of the Las Margaritas district.

The homes in La Pradera had a significant impact on the Ministry of Agriculture's rural housing policies, to the extent that they became the new prototype for future construction nationwide, leading to improved standards, areas, and features.