Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Colombian Architecture'

Drawing on a social and cultural analysis of the architecture designed and built by the state during the Colombian military dictatorship of the 1950s, and based on original sources, including historical archives, declassified official reports, oral history, and raw blueprints, this PhD research project traces relationships between architecture, and the national and international politics of that time. In doing so, this research analyses the relation between the built environment and power, questioning traditional concepts of representation and identity. It will be argued that behind the nationalist discourse, the nationwide consolidation of modern architecture should also be seen as a camouflaged instrument of the Cold War. As part of the contemporary debate about the worldwide impact of the Cold War, this research focuses on the architecture of the 'National Policy of Public Works' developed during Rojas Pinilla's dictatorship (1953-1957). It takes as a case study one of the regime’s most emblematic projects: the Naval College 'Almirante Padilla' - ENAP, using it as a methodological instrument through which larger issues can be traced: the architecture is taken to be a materialization of the political project of a ‘new state’ in Latin America, according to the policies implemented across the hemisphere during the Cold War. State architecture was explicitly used as a political device of the aspiring 'welfare state' amidst a social and governmental controversial context. This state architecture co-opted the Modern Movement, simultaneously developing modern facilities, and following other agendas. What will be articulated here is a critical view of this seemingly neutral infrastructure by questioning how this shaped what I will refer to as a ‘conflictual identity’.

In the last twenty years, there has been a decrease in the quality of social housing projects in Bogotá, in part because private developers have replaced the Colombian government as the main agent. Degradation of social housing has been associated with related sickness of residents due to cold thermal conditions, particularly in children and seniors. In this context, business profitability has played against healthy indoor environments.

A common misconception of building in Bogotá’s mild climate (tropical) is that indoor thermal comfort is not a problem. It is based on the fact that outdoor conditions are relatively constant throughout the year without strong seasons, which in theory make acceptable conditions for thermal comfort of building occupants. Moreover, since residential buildings in Bogotá are naturally ventilated and no have space conditioning, thermal adaptation is expected to be more important.

Previous investigations on thermal comfort in the city have focused on the interaction between the local climate and a particular building configuration, but most have not explored occupants’ perceptions of comfort nor have they investigated how urban form and architectural features such as communal courtyards may influence thermal comfort.

This dissertation aims to better understand occupant perceptions of thermal comfort within the context of environmental conditions, personal adaptability, and urban form in Bogotá. The hypothesis is that an urban fabric that enhances solar access will improve the potential of a building to deliver a satisfactory thermal comfort to its occupants and energy savings in electric lighting. To test this hypothesis, courtyard buildings are explored as a way to connect people with the daily rhythms on their environments and reinterpret these spaces in the scenario of a larger and a denser city.

A multidisciplinary approach is used to address these enquiries, and through a field study thermal comfort is investigated in Bogotá. This methodology integrates knowledge from architecture, psychometrics, and statistics. The field study is performed on two residential projects that represent different urban configurations: the first project is organized in lineal blocks and the second project is organized around a central courtyard.

In total, 75 apartments participate in the study: 37 in the first project and 38 in the second project. Data are collected from them through environmental logging and surveying of residents. Information about temperature, relative humidity, radiant temperature, and light intensity is obtained through monitoring, while information about: thermal sensation, thermal preference, clothing value, and physical activity is obtained through surveys.

Statistical correlations, estimations, comparative tests, and summary statistics are used to analyze the data. These comparisons allow for an investigation of the influence of environmental conditions on occupants’ thermal sensations, the margins of acceptability of residents in multifamily housing, the influence of building features on thermal comfort of real environments, and the influence of courtyards as a solution for problems of comfort and energy consumption.

Key findings include: (1) outdoor climatic conditions (in addition to indoor climatic conditions) were associated with the thermal sensation of residents, suggesting that the indoor and outdoor climates are more connected across the building envelope boundary in these types of buildings that in environmentally controlled buildings; (2) the range of thermal adaptability of residences in these buildings was larger than in environmentally controlled buildings, suggesting that personal choice factors (e.g., choosing to wear more clothing to keep warm) are used to regulate comfort sensations in the absence of more advanced environmental control; and (3) the presence of a large central courtyard increases levels of comfort and also appeared to reduce electricity consumption for lighting.

The comparison suggests that the courtyard typology in multi-family residential buildings can be used to improve thermal comfort in social housing in this climate. Overall, this study offers a key insight into the complex interactions between climate, urban form, architectural design, and human behavior in governing human thermal comfort.

Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2019
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Page 100 blank.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 81-83).
This project delves into the aqueous terrain where the arrival of people and water coalesce. Specifically, it explores the shifting landscape of the Virgen Swamp, in the coastal city of Cartagena, Colombia, where there is friction between flows of urban occupation and ecological flows. This friction is most noticeable in the 4km south border where urban occupation has taken over a fringe of approximately 80 meters of what used to be water. This water-people relationship is dialectical; urban occupation triggers the swamp to resist with floods, erosion and contamination. The city of Cartagena is full of stories of displacement and contestation with physical manifestations in the border of the swamp. Arrival neighborhoods at the border face a situation of simultaneous uncertain citizenship and ecologic vulnerability. The mangrove forest bordering the Virgen Swamp has been considered wasteland, and thus a place to be reclaimed by immigrants who find no other space in the city.
This mangrove forest serves as gradient between water and land filtering the water, preventing land erosion and protecting from storm surge. The recession of the swamp's shoreline due to urban development has degraded the once continuous loop of mangrove forest. The re-shaping of the border between water and land has occurred in the form of spontaneous occupation by immigrants and striated interventions led by the city and large private stakeholders in an attempt to solve water-land frictions. This thesis questions the idea of the swamp as a space of unchecked development or hard divisions. Instead, it sees the swamp's relationship to the urban and ecological as one of gradient and fluidity. In response to the transient nature of the urban arrival threshold, the thesis re-imagines an integrated development plan which brings together different stakeholders, proposing placemaking strategies for a space of displacement.
The proposed network of spaces catalyzes community reinforcement and livelihood. The project employs a systemic approach, exploring different scales and temporalities, and proposing design strategies that are both incremental and substantial.
by Andrea Baena.
M. Arch.
M.Arch. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, and (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1987.
MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.
Bibliography: leaves 120-133.
by Hernando Vargas.
M.S.
M.C.P.

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, Center for Real Estate, 2008.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-74).
Real estate investment is becoming increasingly international. Deregulation and integration of global capital markets, growth of emerging market economies, demographic trends in developed economies, and geopolitical and sociocultural changes the world over are presenting opportunities for international real estate investors in a fascinating, complex and interconnected market place. Latin America seems to be one of the last frontiers still unexplored by international real estate investors. Colombia in particular is making quiet and steady efforts to internationalize its economy and welcome Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Among the policy-makers' long-term goals, Colombia aspires to become one of the three most competitive countries in Latin America by the year 2032. International real estate investors need to adapt their tools and techniques to underwrite new and uncharted markets that present investment opportunities. This thesis proposes a comprehensive strategic framework for international real estate investments, by adapting from selected business academic literature and real estate industry practice different decision-making approaches. The purpose of the thesis is twofold. First, by proposing a strategic framework, the work intends to contribute to the development of strategic decision-making literature in international real estate investment. Second, by utilizing the strategic framework to study selected issues and variables that are deemed relevant or pertinent to the commercial real estate market in Bogota, it attempts to serve as a resource to international real estate investors interested in the market.
by José Camilo Otálora Castro.
S.M.in Real Estate Development

One of mankind’s most important needs is the need for shelter. All around the world people live in lack of this basic need. Colombia is a South American country heavily burdened by civil war for many years. This has led to that many people have moved to the larger cities with large slum areas and bad living conditions. This thesis is aiming to give a solution to the problem with bad housing and it is performed in cooperation with Ankarstiftelsen. Ankarstiftelsen is a Swedish charity organisation that works with the suffering people in various places in Colombia.

This thesis examines the possibility to build a house in a sandwich technique with a core of rigid plastic foam and a skin material of fibre reinforced plastic. The construction should be as easy as possible to manufacture, and the construction is also intended to be self carrying. The final proposition is to build the house using polyurethane rigid foam as the core, and a glass fibre reinforced polyester as the skin. This combination combines good mechanical behaviour with a relatively low price.

Tests have been performed to evaluate the constructions ability to withstand some basic loads, with the help of computer aided engineering. The program that has been used to create a model is ProEngineer, and the application ProMechanica has been used to perform the analysis. The loads that have been tested are: gravity loads, wind loads, maintenance loads and earthquake loads.  Colombia is located in the so called Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes are a bitter reality.  The Colombian building code is, as a result of this, much focused on the issue of earthquake safety. The Colombian building code has been used in order to create reliable earthquake testing models.

The authors come to the conclusion that the house is possible to build with the given data. However, further investigations regarding manufacturing techniques and practical tests have to be made before the house can be built in reality.

Le titre principal de cette thèse veut répondre autant à des problèmes d'ordre conceptuel - l'analyse de l'espace à partir du son et du temps-, qu'à des problèmes concrets d'ordre géographique - l'identification des territoires à partir de leur production musicale-. Le sous-titre correspond à la polarisation géographique entre un type d'habitat dirigé vers l'intérieur de la Colombie, et un autre laissé aux marges, et à l'extérieur des manœuvres du « développement »-. On propose donc un parcours entre le « clos résidentiel entre le « clos résidentiel », représentant par excellence d'un mode de vie dirigé vers un intérieur géographique et ontologique, et le Palenque de San Basilio, représentant des multiples villages d'esclaves évadés de la ville de Cartagena à partir du XVIIe siècle, où a perduré un model collectif d'usage de la terre et de l'espace selon une ancienne cosmologie
The title of this thesis tries to respond to conceptual problems -the analysis of space using sound and time-, as well as specific and geographical problems, like the construction of certain territories from their musical production. The sub-title corresponds to a geographic polarization between a type of dwelling directed towards Colombia' s interior and another one left on the periphery and outside the country's «development» strategies. This thesis proposes an itinerary through this two kinds of dwelling: the gated community, which represents a life style directed towards a geographical and ontological interior, and the Palenque de San Basilio, which is the last of many villages constructed around the city of Cartagena by fugitive slaves at the turning of the XVII th century, and where has prevailed a collective usage of land and space based on an ancient cosmology

This document compiles a highly discussed issue present in many cities of the developing world today; it brings forward the importance of facing the challenges that slums create to today’s cities and the mechanisms used for tackling such challenge. The study focuses on the use of Participatory Planning approaches in the context of slum upgrading, giving the reader an insight to the advantages and challenges that such an approach has. It is built around a case study in the city of Medellin, Colombia where there has been a strong political will and commitment to implement programs and projects in the poorest areas of the city. This initiative emerged as a need to tackle deep rooted problems present in the slum areas of the city that together with other issues placed Medellin as the most dangerous city of the world during the 1990s.

For tackling such a problem, the local Administration (2003-2007) created a slum upgrading model called “PUI - Proyecto Urbano Integral” (Integral Urban Project) which is said to be based on “participatory planning” and “slum upgrading” principles. The results of the first project following the “PUI Model”, the “PUI Noriental”, have been promoted by the Administration as highly successful and been considered as a model for slum upgrading both nationally and internationally. Therefore, there is the need to acknowledge and critically asses the PUI Model by evaluating its principles, its methods and its results having a deeper understanding and assessment of the concepts behind such an approach; specially since it has been internationally recognized that there is a lack of cases in which the ideals of participation and slum upgrading are put in practice.

In this order of ideas, the principles, methods and tools of the “PUI Model” and its implementation in the “PUI Noriental”, are evaluated based on international theories and experiences dealing with the topic. By doing so, it is shown the close link between the principles of participation and the very nature of slum upgrading processes. As well it is brought forward the need to implement such kind of a approaches in cities presenting problems with slum areas. The results of the evaluation show that even though there is a strong political will towards using principles of participatory planning and slum upgrading approaches in Medellin, there is still a high need to have a deeper understanding of such concepts and the way they can be implemented. Nevertheless, it is shown that even with these shortcomings the significant outcomes produced by the PUI Noriental are a clear example that participation in the context of slum upgrading is a strong tool to bring benefits to the people of such areas.

The thesis was not publishes (printed) by the department. The copy I am uploading is the final version accepted by the department.

Qu'il s'agisse de corporations ou d'Académies, l'existence de circuits de production artistique officiels (ou du moins formellement constitués), fournit à l'historien de l'art une grille de lecture permettant de structurer l'approche avec l'objet à étudier et avec les processus qui ont abouti à sa création. Cela ne se vérifie pas dans toute l'Amérique coloniale même si, paradoxalement, la légitimité du projet politique espagnol se fondait sur le succès de la campagne évangélisatrice et donc sur la mise en place de temples, ce qui théoriquement, devrait se traduire par l'imposition d'un goût officiel à travers de telles institutions. Face à l'impossibilité d'étudier la production artistique de la Nouvelle Grenade (Colombie actuelle) selon une histoire qualitative articulée autour d'un jugement de valeurs (le Beau, le Vrai le Bien), ce travail propose d'aborder le bâti religieux depuis la perspective d'une histoire culturelle. Comme instrument méthodologique nous avons privilégié la recherche heuristique. Délaissée par l'histoire de l'art colonial colombien depuis les années 1980, cette approche qui implique la mise en valeur du patrimoine documentaire, représente pourtant une source très abondante d'informations. Eloignés d'une histoire basée sur l'analyse de la forme et sur sa classification taxonomique, une lecture culturaliste des documents d'archive nous a permis d'approcher la chaîne de production du bâti, depuis la mise en place d'une réglementation jusqu'à la réalisation - ou l'abandon - du projet. Nous avons également identifié les différents acteurs susceptibles d'intervenir dans l'étape de d'invention du projet, en prêtant une attention particulière à leur formation afin de restituer les voies qui ont permis la circulation des idées et du savoir-faire.

L’objectif de cette étude est d’affiner notre compréhension de la distribution des hétérogénéités de concentration de la matière organique dans les roches mères en se basant sur des affleurements et des données de puits provenant des Formations Triasiques de Montney et Doig (Canada). La méthodologie développée dans cette étude est la suivante : (1) la corrélation de forages sur les principes de la stratigraphie séquentielles, (2) l’analyse d’échantillons prélevés sur des affleurements, des carottes et des débris de forages avec un Rock-Eval, un ICP-MS/AES (3) l’intégration des résultats des analyses géochimiques et pétrographiques dans le cadre stratigraphique, (4) l’utilisation du code numérique DIONISOS pour restaurer l’architecture stratigraphique des Formations de Montney et Doig et tester plusieurs scénarios de productivité primaire et de restriction du bassin.Les formations de Montney et Doig ont été découpées en quatre séquences elles-mêmes regroupées en deux cycles de second ordre (A et B) séparés par un hiatus majeurs. Cette étude montre que les formations triasiques de l’Ouest du Canada se sont déposées dans un bassin actif et non pas sur une marge passive. L’intégration des résultats des analyses géochimiques et pétrographiques dans le cadre stratigraphique fait ressortir deux niveaux d’accumulation de la matière organique : une dans le FSST de la séquence A et une dans le TST de la séquence B. La modélisation avec DIONISOS montre un effondrement majeur des apports sédimentaires entre le Trias inférieur et moyen. Dernièrement, cette étude met en avant le contrôle de premier ordre de l’évolution géodynamique sur l’accumulation de la matière organique
The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of sedimentary organic matter heterogeneities in unconventional plays, based on outcrop and well data from the Triassic Montney and Doig Formations. The workflow comprises four steps: (1) well correlations, based on sequence stratigraphy, (2) Rock-Eval VI and ICP-MS/AES analyses of outcrop, core and cutting samples, (3) integration of the analyses results in the stratigraphic framework, (4) a process-based forward modeling of the stratigraphic evolution of the basin with DIONISOS in order to test multiple scenarios of primary productivity and basin restriction.The stratigraphic architecture of the Montney and Doig Fms has been subdivided into four sequences gathered in two second order cycles (A and B) separated by a major time gap (approx. 2 My). This study shows that the deposition of the Triassic series on the Western margin of North America took place in an active structural context and not on a passive margin. The integration of the geochemical and petrographic analyses results in the stratigraphic framework shows that significant organic accumulations are located in the FSST of sequence A and in the TST of sequence B. DIONISOS shows a major drop of the sedimentary inputs between Lower and Middle Triassic that is interpreted to be linked to the regional geodynamic evolution and the early stages of the Canadian Cordillera orogeny. Lastly, this study emphasizes the first order control of the geodynamic evolution on organic rich accumulation

Bien que les caractéristiques économiques, de l'offre, de la demande et de l'implantation territoriale soient différentes dans chaque cas, les politiques liées à la mobilité à Paris, Londres, Bogotá et Santiago partent de la conviction commune d' un excès de circulation automobile qui est à l'origine d'externalités intolérables ; nuisances environnementales dans le cas de Paris et Santiago et congestion dans les cas de Bogotá et Londres principalement. Les interventions mises en place montrent une forte décision de la part des pouvoirs publics de s'attaquer à ses nuisances. Dans le cas de Londres, l'analyse économique des politiques se centre sur les effets du péage de congestion dans le centre de Londres. Le suivi, très détaillé, de la part des autorités londoniennes permet de confirmer un succès technique et politique. Cependant, le coût de collecte du péage est supérieur aux bénéfices économiques. A Paris, la mise en place des couloirs bus comme mesure de diminution de l'espace de la voiture, supporté par un système de TC de qualité, permet de diminuer son utilisation. Cependant la circulation ralentit. Le bilan économique est négatif, ce qui ne semble pas nuire au succès politique. A Bogota, le bilan économique est mitigé. L'amélioration des TC avec la mise en place de Transmilenio apporte des bénéfices importants. Cependant, l'interdiction de circulation crée une désutilité pour une minorité. Finalement, pour Santiago, les informations disponibles ne permettent pas d'être concluant. Cependant, le succès des autoroutes à péage et les problèmes de Transantiago font que le report modal se soit accentué vers une forte croissance de l'automobile. Des questions sur la pertinence de l'évaluation économique comme instrument d'évaluation de politiques de développement durable et l'utilisation d'autres démarches sont aussi développées dans cette recherche.

Orito Field occupies an area of 31 mi² (80 km²) in the west-central portion of the Putumayo Basin, Colombia and forms part of an extensive littoral system that dominated sedimentation during Albian-Aptian time. The Caballos Formation represents the oldest Cretaceous unit, and was deposited at the beginning of a retrogradational episode immediately above the eroded Triassic-Jurassic surface. The Caballos Formation has an average thickness of 240 ft (73 m) and is largely composed of fine grained, highly compacted quartzarenites, cemented by quartz and kaolinite. A geologic model integrating all the available information allows the definition of four depositional events in the Caballos. The lowest depositional unit is composed of fluvial deposits with minor tidal influence. These fluvial sands grade upward into estuarine deposits formed in tidal channels and tidal flats, that are in turn overlain by tidal channel deposits, and are finally eroded and overlain by tidal mouth bars deposits. The vertical facies association is the product of a retrogradational episode and represents deposition in a tide-modified estuary, inside which diagenetic processes acted differently modifying the petrophysical properties of the facies that compose the Caballos reservoir in Orito field. Historical production trends of the Caballos reservoir correlate with the major depositional axes defined in this study and allow to delineation of high potential areas for future development, by means of targeted infill drilling and workovers.

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS Mincho"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }span.MsoFootnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }span.FootnoteTextChar { }span.citationtext { }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { } Over the past fifty years, civil war has held a relentless grip on Colombia. Aside from the staggering numbers of casualties that have resulted, millions have been internally displaced and unwilling to return home. Many are fleeing from forced military recruitment of youths, sexual violence, kidnapping and murder. After Syria, Colombia has one of the highest populations of Internally Displaced People (IDP): 5,841,040, as of December 2015. It is unknown how many more refugees are not officially registered[1]. The majority of the IDP population migrates from rural villages and towns to large cities, such as Bogotá and Medellín, where there are opportunities for safety, income and improvised shelter.[2] Referencing existing models for Colombian housing and shelter for IDPs and street kids, this research examines the needs of the displaced population and creates a set of criteria for a long-term, integrative housing solution. This thesis focuses on internally displaced youths and women in the Southern-Pacific region of Colombia, as they make up the largest portion of registered IDPs and refugees in Colombia.[3] The goal of the project is to design the user’s progression through a system of increasingly supportive levels: “Entrance to the shelter,” “Full-time residence,” “Reintegration to society.” The site and program encourage commensalism, or relationship where one part benefits from the other without causing harm, with the surrounding community. This thesis also references studies of community-based design, low-cost and sustainable housing, transitional shelters, and homeless communities. [1] "Colombia." UNHCR News. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. . [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid.

In Bogota, demand for low-income housing outgrows supply by legal and illegal sectors imposing a burden on the process of urbanization and the urban poor's residential environment. To improve this situation requires alternative physical and programmatic solutions to reduce the impact of uncontrolled physical growth, social alienation and a mere quantitative view of the issue. Hence, reinterpretation and changes in the formulation of government policy, the structure of public expenditure and the manipulation of the agents of change at the urban design level are necessary. The magnitude of current problems in the provision of low-income housing and their impact on the process of urbanization was established. Strategies and policies employed to resolve these problems were documented. The outcome of low-income housing provision developments were analyzed and alternative approaches suggested. While there are many lessons to be drawn from the analysis, an understanding emerged, that efforts within Bogota need to be directed towards greater optimization of: urban land resources by densification, human manpower, materials and organizational ability of low-income groups.