I + D - March/April 2021 - 19

Set between two other buildings
in the dense El Poblano
neighborhood, The Somos hotel
attracts a great deal of tourist
traffic, while public spaces like
the terrace and subterranean
coffee bar also appeal to locals.

M E D E L L Í N

(Architecture: A5 Arquitectura;
Interior Design: Reeal;
Photography: Luis Bernardo Cano,
Juan Camilo Calle, Mateo Soto)

While some 30 years ago Colombia's second-largest
city was unfortunately associated with crime, violence,
drugs, and danger, now the " city of eternal spring " (as
it's been dubbed for its year-round temperate climate)
has experienced an urban renewal in terms of art,
culture, architecture, and design-thanks in no small
part to the leadership of Sergio Fajardo, who was
mayor of Medellín (2004-2007) and then governor of
the state of Antioquia (2012-2015). A mathematician
and son of an architect, Fajardo appreciated the power
of design to revolutionize a city, and he committed
to investing in infrastructure, architecture, and urban
beautification to transform Medellín " del miedo a la
esperanza, " according to its residents, which translates
to " from fear to hope. "
The local A&D community responded to Fajardo's
leadership with noteworthy design ventures-including
such projects as Centro Cívico Plaza de La Libertad
(Civic Centre Liberty Plaza) by OPUS and Toroposada
Arquitectos in 2010; the 2015 major 75,000-squarefoot expansion of Museo de Arte Moderno (MAMM)
by architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez; and a massive
undertaking by EPM Arquitectura to turn city water
reservoirs into public parks, an effort that was featured
in the 2016 Venice Biennale of Architecture, to name
a few. Initiatives like these have resulted in a sort of
design renaissance for Medellín, which in 2013 was
named " Innovative City of the Year " by the Urban
Land Institute in collaboration with Citigroup and the
Wall Street Journal.

The Terrace of The Somos allows guests to connect with the surrounding
landscape and revel in the year-round temperate climate in Medellín.
(Architecture: A5 Arquitectura; Interior Design: Reeal;
Photography: Luis Bernardo Cano, Juan Camilo Calle, Mateo Soto)

By placing the black steel
staircases on the exterior
of The Somos, A5 not only
created a distinct architectural
feature on the façade but also
freed up interior square footage
to allocate to guest rooms.
(Architecture: A5 Arquitectura;
Interior Design: Reeal;
Photography: Luis Bernardo Cano,
Juan Camilo Calle, Mateo Soto)

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378_028_i+D_Mar Apr 2021_v1.indd 19

Likewise, Medellín-based A5 Arquitectura, founded
in 2017 by partners Tomás Vega and Camilo Ramírez,
has contributed to the city's architectural and design
revival with exceptional commercial, hospitality,
residential, and mixed-use projects, as well as several
social justice initiatives. " For a number of years, "
recalls Ramírez, " we have seen a large group of
creative professionals committed to contributing to the
social transformation in the city. As an architecture
studio, we feel extremely motivated to be a part of this
growing community and to be able to express our own
identity through design. "
Local Aesthetic
The Somos hotel, completed by A5 in 2019, both
stands out and yet perfectly fits in with its setting in
the trendy El Poblado district. The goal of the project,
according to Ramírez, was " to create a hospitality
experience for tourists, associated with our own culture
and environmental tropic characteristics. " The design
team melds form and function by expertly integrating
local foliage that lends a sense of place, juxtaposed with
the industrial aesthetic of the black steel balconies and
staircases that climb the exterior façade. Ramírez calls
" having merged the functional and aesthetic aspects
of a façade by means of the stairs and accomplishing a
vertical circuit, which works as an ascending balcony
from the first to the last floor, " the most unique
design element of the project. And though he says
" the optimization of space in a very small plot located
within dividing walls " posed a challenge, placing a
cantilevered staircase on the exterior freed up interior
square footage to allocate to guest rooms, and his team
managed to adeptly maneuver within the designated
space to create an upscale boutique hotel experience.

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21-03-30 17:30
I + D - March/April 2021

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