Architecture Awards 2020

55 2020 Architecture Awards BUILD Jul20107 Best Urban Planning & Improvements Design Firm - Latin America With an ethos that centres around providing happiness through architecture and design projects, AGRA _ Anzellini Garcia-Reyes Arquitectos is committed to celebrating and boosting the communities of Colombia and Latin America. As the firm celebrates success at the BUILD Architecture Awards 2020, we dug a little deeper to find out more about this visionary architectural firm. ased in Bogota, Colombia, AGRA _ Anzellini Garcia- Reyes Arquitectos is an architecture, urbanism and landscape design office with a focus on social consulting. The principal aim of the firm is to provide happiness by implementing tailored projects that satisfy the needs and desires of every case and client, whilst simultaneously making a positive social impact. Every step of the design and construction process is carried out with conscientious care of the clients and communities involved in the project. While each design is unique and requires a bespoke approach, AGRA follows six fundamental principles in every project in order to attain the high levels of client satisfaction the company strives for. First, involvement of future inhabitants of the project from its very inception, references to environmental, geographic and cultural conditions of every site during creation, and progressive development that understands the projects as long-term interventions that can change in use, distribution and even size over time. In addition, AGRA employs complex geometries that allow the detachment of their architectures from conventional forms, the implementation of daring technical solutions that present AGRA projects as pretexts research and innovation and finally, they design egoless constructions to free them to create original and appropriate architectural structures. These principles are being used in two distinct but equally exciting projects that AGRA is currently working on. The first project is the headquarters of four national parks in rural northern Colombia and is nearing completion. It has been a challenging project that has used a combination of techniques not commonly used in Colombian ‘projected’ buildings. Built predominantly using wood, with vernacular as well as industrial solutions, all the architectural engineering and bioclimatic designs for construction were provided by AGRA and their technical team. This in itself presented exciting challenges and combined with the process of construction in very isolated, natural regions, AGRA were really pushed on this project. It will be, however, a vital element in the maintenance of Colombia’s national parks, and the AGRA team will be delighted to see it being put to use once completed. The second project is just beginning and will be the music faculty building for one of Colombia’s leading universities. AGRA took on this project as a result of winning a competition and is excited to embark upon it. However, as ever, this architectural B feat will also present challenges, owing to a very delicate urban patrimonial context that is part of the campus, combined with the need to build the very dense project, that has a large number of specifications such as complex acoustic requests, all in a very busy, central site. AGRA is taking all these adversities in its stride, using this opportunity to build and develop its brand as a leading architectural firm in Colombia. While these two facilities may be being built for two very different purposes, their values very much align with those of AGRA; using architecture to make a positive social impact. In Colombia and Latin America in general, architecture is still perceived as a luxury. AGRA wishes to change this, presenting their discipline as an art but also a service. In light of the problems facing Latin America, such as lack of good quality housing, public spaces and facilities, architects must use this as an opportunity to utilise their resources to better society. AGRA have seen this opportunity and are seizing it with two hands. Whilst remaining a mid-sized office, AGRA envision their global reach expanding as they take on more complex architectural and urban problems, facing the challenges with their signature precision and delicacy. Located in a tropical, middle-income and growing country but with the vision and understanding of a global corporation, AGRA has established itself as a global office with a local heart. Company: AGRA _ Anzellini Garcia-Reyes Arquitectos Contact: Martin Anzellini Web Address: www.agrarquitectos.com Email: [email protected] Phone number: +57 310 3337922