Plural Nodo Cultural 2018 - Yemail Arquitectura

Project Details

Plural Node Cultural 2018

DESCRIPTION

In 2018, Plural Cultural Node opened its doors in Bogotá’s San Felipe neighborhood as an independent initiative where Juan Fernando López’s questions would later intersect with those of Andrea Muñoz, gradually taking shape through the many things that have unfolded there.

“Yemail Arquitectura intervened in a traditional house in Bogotá’s San Felipe neighborhood, now home to Plural Nodo Cultural, a space whose design provides an ideal canvas for multiple forms of contemporary artistic production. The challenge was to build one structure within another, and the answer was not to demolish everything and start from scratch—especially because Yemail Arquitectura’s approach is grounded in recognizing what already exists and intervening by combining its own vision with the possibilities of the site. But how could the outer shell of a typical San Felipe house—its roof, original form, and two levels—be preserved while creating a contemporary art center? ‘The initial credit belongs to Juan Fernando López, artistic director of Plural Nodo Cultural, who did not imagine an art gallery, but rather a space where many formats could take place beyond traditional exhibition", explains architect Antonio Yemail.

From this premise emerged a project that enhanced the double-height space, introduced flexible areas that could be connected or divided, explored the play of light and shadow, and incorporated a kitchen that invites dialogue between art, gastronomy, and creativity—all within an intervention centered on preserving memory. How? By retaining the original roof and reinforcing it with a scaffolding-like structure, making it possible to remove the internal construction and open up the space…”

The gallery, Latin American art documentation center, and café are the result of the intervention and extension of the two floors of a traditional 1950s house in Bogotá’s San Felipe neighborhood. Three operations define the project: a structural framework composed of twelve variable trusses that preserves the original roof and floor slabs while allowing the interior walls to be completely removed; the diagonal layout of the second floor above the main hall, maintaining natural light through a 3 × 3 meter window on the façade and creating a double-height void at the entrance; and the decision to avoid finishes or materials foreign to the existing building, preserving the original palette of brick, clay roof tiles, and exposed steel structure.

DETAILS

Use

Art gallery + Workshops

Type

Rehabilitation of a 1950s House

Area

225 m²

Location

Bogotá D. C. – Colombia

Meters above the sea level

2625

Average annual temperature

13.1 °C

Year

2017

Client

Juan Fernando López Salazar

Design

Yemail Architecture

Construction

Perez Construction

Project team

Antonio Yemail + Luiz Pataro + Juan Sebastian Velez + Nataly Salas Patiño

Structural design

Pedro Gonzalez

Electrical design and lighting

Dyselectricas S. A. S.

Architectural Model

Arq. Sara Escobar Aristizabal

Photo Credits

Federico Cairoli (Project) – Julian Mahecha (Model)

Categories: Culture