La Huerta
“The Garden” — A Cross-Functional Greenhouse/Community Center
Medellin, Colombia
Design + Build + Engagement = Real Impact.
High in the Andes Mountains, overlooking the city of Medellín, new neighborhoods are being built by Colombians who, due to war and violence, were forced to flee their hometowns across the country. Carpinelo is one of these neighborhoods.
La Huerta was designed and built in collaboration with the community of Carpinelo to establish a new place for the community to gather and grow. The project was successful despite extreme environmental and budget constraints.
Design Build Process
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01
Identified potential areas for improvement through site visits, interviews, and GIS mapping.
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02
Settled on project site through community engagement meetings.
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03
Sketched potential structures with priority placed on a closed frame.
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04
Cleared site and found that the available space was irregularly shaped — a trapezoid. Plans for a rectangular structure were revised to fit the site.
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05
Drawings were updated in CAD and structure was fully planned out.
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06
Support beams installed, roof raised, and half-wall closures built on the outside for security
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07 Final
The final structure is a cross-functional greenhouse and community center.
Final drawings made with CAD
Full site plan
Form created in Rhino 7 to understand trapezoidal site shape
Transparent greenhouse roof
Community brainstorming meeting
Completed Huerta from afar