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Five Towers: Botanical Conservation and Research Center

Part 2 Project 2024
Conchita Escobar Arango
Pontifical Bolivarian University | Colombia
The interconnectedness of climate, geography, nature and society was a groundbreaking discovery in Alexander von Humboldt's expeditions: Illustrating the profound effects of climate change in nature and consequently, humanity.

This proposal re-imagines architecture's role in addressing the challenges of conserving and studying the botanical heritage - amidst the threats of climate change - that unfold through the five thermal floors of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia, one of earth's largest coastal mountains: home to many ancestral communities.

The project envisions a new dialogue between men and nature, surpassing geographical barriers without compromising the cultural and natural heritage of this fragile landscape. Consequently, a series of five towers rise parallel to the corresponding five thermal floors, each consisting of an underground museum to conserve and an elevated laboratory to study; Vertically articulated through a periscope, transmitting in real-time, the living image of each thermal floor.

Over time, the landscape encapsulated in the periscope will reflect the ongoing impact of climate change, while the museum will maintain a static representation, allowing past and present to co-exist. Hence, enabling scientists to conserve and simultaneously study these fragile landscapes: Ensuring a better future for the interconnectedness of climate, nature, geography, and society.

Conchita Escobar Arango

Tutor(s)
Carlos David Gonzalez Cabrera
2024
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