First Prize in International competition for the construction of a Velodrome in Medellín. With Fake Industries, Estudio Mazzanti, Farzin Lotfi-Jam and Bryce Suite
Medellín (Colombia) / 2012 (on hold)
The Medellin Velodrome synthesizes two seemingly incompatible spatial conditions: an insular, formally specific sports infrastructure; and a permeable, open public space. It transforms the typology of the sport facility in order to integrate it into the existing Park of the Wheels precinct, distributing the technical and economic investment along it. A modular roof structure, independent from the geometry of the track, dissolves the perimeter of the building, creating spaces that trigger relationships between the specific activities of the velodrome and the informal, leisurely uses of the park.
Each of the roof's modules creates a variety of environmental conditions and provide technical support to the park. Those covering the velodrome offer the necessary infrastructure for its regular functioning, including ventilation chimneys, acoustic isolation, electric systems, etc. Those in the perimeter of the building and scattered throughout the park offer bicycle clinics, support systems for scenic lighting, generators activated by pedals, and sprinklers for lowering the temperature. This infrastructure augments the occasional use of the velodrome with a diversity of everyday uses, which privilege the civic appropriation of the project, transforming it into a strategic development for the city of Medellín.
[ image gallery ]
Competition: Ignacio G. Galán, Fake Industries, Estudio Mazzanti, Farzin Lotfi-Jam and Bryce Suite.
Design development and construction: Ignacio G. Galán, Fake Industries, Estudio Mazzanti.
Collaborators: BOMA, structural engineers; BAT, textile engineers and more.