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2024

MCHAP

Wake

M+group

Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

September 2022

PRIMARY AUTHOR

Andrés Felipe Mesa Trujillo (Chief Designer (CEO)), Juan Camilo Garcés Cuesta (Architecture director)

CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR

CLIENT

Drim

PHOTOGRAPHER

Pequeño Robot (Alejandro Arango Escobar)

OBJECTIVE

Wake is a mixed-use ecosystem providing an answer to this growing demand for a lifestyle focused on Conscious wellbeing through a spatial program suited to satisfy the needs and desires found in the Area. From the Street level to the top storey the spatial program features:
On the ground floor A top-quality food hall,
On the first floor an Exterior public promenade filled with quality landscape, complemented with co working spaces for digital nomads.
From the first floor up, you will find high end residential units meant for both short- and long-term rentals Accompanied with wellbeing amenities featuring Jacuzzis, a lap pool, gym, sauna and gathering spaces with stunning city views.
Architectonically the projects innovative geometry breaks with singularity into the urban landscape. The Development has been carried out by a leading local company following the structure suggested by the LEED standards to achieve significant waste reduction and energy usage during construction.
The design sought Environmental excellence through the implementation of different design strategies including a building orientation allowing to harness heat gains during the colder early hours of the day. Interior partitions built with thermal insulation along the internal cavity to reduce rough temperature fluctuations keeping the thermal sensation of the occupants within the comfort zone whilst ensuring an efficient energy use. Cantilevers facing west to provide natural shading. Glazing specs of SHGC & U values assigned through solar radiation simulations using hourly climate data. Mixed mode ventilation where both natural vents and mechanical cooling are implemented.

CONTEXT

Socioeconomically, Provenza neighborhood has established itself as one of the favorite places for tourists all around the globe due to Its multicultural and vibrant nightlife. Currently the trendiest neighborhood in the city thanks to its cool architecture complemented by narrow lanes filled with fashion shops, art galleries, restaurant and bars, Providing a variety of experiences ranging from live music to gourmet food and handcrafted cocktails offered by a plentiful supply of bars and restaurants scattered along the area.
Wake integrates to this Urban Dynamic through a finely designed ground level accommodating a top quality food hall that blends together with the urban plinth while at the same time provides a dual access through a main avenue (10th Avenue ) on the south and a secondary lane (35th Lane) on the west. The Avenue access leads directly to the first floor planned on purpose as a “Public Promenade” Creating multi-purpose public setting Available to everyone and fixing a long-time political failure of creating a quality public built environment to nurture the social bonding.
2 buildings are proposed. The first one Conceived as a stepped Building disrupting the Skyline with a geometry distinguishing from the rest and, at the same time smoothly addressing the problem of bulk and scale creating a fine physical relationship with the street and sidewalk. The second one is a twisting tower that provides the best possible views towards the city and the mountains establishing a strong visual link with its natural surroundings.

PERFORMANCE

Architectonically Since its grand opening a year and a half ago, the projects performance has exceeded expectations receiving a huge appropriation from the community thanks to the wide variety of high-quality restaurants on the ground floor but above all by the Urban promenade found above. Guaranteeing public accessibility to the promenade has been fundamental, visitors encounter with top quality landscape composed of local bushes and fruit trees that provide an enhanced public experience with an environment finished in great fashion featuring top quality lighting fixtures, exterior public furniture and a comfortable natural shade provided by the older trees located to the rear of the site.
Due to the quality of the architectural design and the craftsmanship of the construction, the residential units have been fully booked throughout the year, proving that proper design with standards aiming for the well being of the occupants pays off as an investment and at the same time adds a big chunk of value the local hospitality industry and the public space network. The project sets a standard, establishing itself as a quality benchmark for coming developments at all levels. From the relationship with the public realm to the design quality dedicated into the private units. Tenants enjoy the benefits of a carefully thought indoor environmental quality while the building operating costs remain efficient. Finally, the Community and the neighbors as a whole enjoy the addition of a fine piece of architecture devised to improve the built environment at a social and environmental level.

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