Abstract: Because there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again. Everything is supposed to be very quiet after a massacre, and it always is, except for the birds.” All wars are atrocious, and the task of incorporating such inglorious events into a nation’s collective identity becomes understandably hard. But it needs to be done, otherwise, the memory of the war might be trivialized and forgotten and, hence, are more prone to be repeated. War is bound to replicate itself without confrontation and awareness. Mosul city was established on the western bank of the Tigris River in the 6th Century, just across the water from the ruins of the Assyrian city of Nineveh. The city flourished during the ancient era establishing itself as an epicentre of the Islamic world, therefore it is rich with ancient ruins and cultural heritage. The war which erupted in Iraq didn’t aim to destroy only its defence, but also its identity. Entire urban blocks of Mosul’s city were damaged so severely, that when it comes to reconstruction it cannot simply restore the former fabrics, either of space or architecture. The war has changed everything, and most critically the structure of society itself. The spatial reconstruction will mostly require more than just physical rehabilitation and restoration of the cities devastated infrastructure and housing. In order to provide sensations for the need of diversity and unity, more urgent concern should be given to restoring public facilities and daily utilities. Architectural and landscape design can be judiciously used in healing the social structure. How can common spaces be rearranged to create conditions for a peaceful and creative coexistence among citizens which survived such horrors? How can the location and the design of such utilities be done in a way as to meet the needs for intimacy and peace? This thesis study intends to recommend an urban and architectural regeneration project, to be taken upon during the redevelopment of the old city of Mosul. Furthermore, a set of strategies that may ensure the preservation of the urban identity of the area, while redeveloping and coping with the environmental, socioeconomic and political changes have been identified for reclaiming the urban identity and promoting the sense of belonging.

Este artículo investiga el lugar de la dignidad personal en el sistema carcelario colombiano. Esto como resultado de un taller participativo, articulado alrededor de una tertulia literaria, con algunos presos de la cárcel La Picota, en Bogotá. En este documento se sostiene que a pesar de las evidentes condiciones indignas de las cárceles colombianas, las personas privadas de la libertad construyen dignidad en el cotidiano a través del arte y la literatura. En un primer apartado, se explica el proceso participativo realizado y se evalúa el concepto de dignidad que tienen los presos. Un segundo apartado señala los obstáculos a la dignidad que identifican los propios presos en su espacio de reclusión. Un último apartado señala los principales retos para cambiar la dramática situación existente y propone algunas estrategias para superarlos.

La dramaturgia y el teatro en Colombia están ligados al nombre de Santiago García. Pintor, actor y director de arte dramático. Su trayectoria profesional estuvo marcada por personajes como el director japonés Seki Sano.

Radionave X-305, año estelar 17. Aventura No. 632. Bitácora de vuelo: La aventura de hoy nace en el Laboratorio de Voces de la Maestría en Infancia y Cultura de la Universidad Distrital. Aventura del sábado 1 de junio

La tesis doctoral aborda el tema de la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos, específicamente la existente entre las ciudades de El Paso, Texas, y Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, desde la perspectiva del arte, la estética y los imaginarios. Se entiende la frontera como un territorio que no solo se define desde aspectos geopolíticos, militares, estratégicos, económicos, sino, de manera simultánea, desde las prácticas culturales y procesos artísticos y estéticos que definen las relaciones afectivas y sensibles entre quienes la habitan en un plano más del orden de lo geopoético. Así, la tesis indaga cómo desde el arte también se construye este espacio territorial fronterizo y se producen procesos de memoria que dan cuenta de los aspectos históricos que definieron y siguen definiendo su conformación. Igualmente, desde la ruta trazada por el teórico Armando Silva, se indaga sobre los imaginarios que artistas, curadores, investigadores, urbanistas de estas dos ciudades tienen sobre la frontera en aspectos como la identidad, los personajes emblema, sabores, colores, entre otros, para dar cuenta, desde una perspectiva estética y de lo sensible, la manera en que estos ciudadanos fronterizos asumen su condición de habitar un intersticio. Se trabaja el arte y los imaginarios, como vectores de la memoria, desde referentes como el Río Bravo, el muro y el desierto.

Abstract: This project follows the complete development process of a sustainable building which intend to optimize the natural and built conditions, to merge the architecture with the sustainability; applied to the renovation of the BUILDING H in Palogrande Campus, Universidad Nacional de Colombia in the city of Manizales. Along this work the author put in practice the different methods of analysis and problem solution learned in the Politecnico di Milano, which are oriented to create a user experience focused in the current necessity of saving energy, having at simple sight the building spaces, systems, elements and components which will work to carry out this purpose, being the building use an interactive process between the users and the sustainability. A holistic approach leads the present project, starting from a general analysis of the physical, environmental, historical and social context at country, city, university and campus scale; the urban analysis considers the campus and its surrounding area, yet the design has been limited to the campus area; the architectural design follows the physical and social necessities and is connected with the sustainable strategies which intend to create an comfort environment with a low energy consumption; the details of the systems, elements and components are presented, as well as the structure analysis. Photographs, plans, schemes and renders illustrate the process and result. All the solutions proposed are ecofriendly oriented and expect to be a reference for future studies and design projects in another cities and functions.

Abstract: This research aims to identify a transformative model to regenerate the first-cycle school buildings in the post-pandemic city. Starting from the school infrastructure in Turin and compared with international cases, the research focuses on outdoor spaces, intended as a resource to face the pandemic’s critical situation and facilitate the integration of innovative learning processes. The two-step analysis findings concentrate firstly on the whole stock of first-cycle school buildings in Turin and secondly on a selection of representative cases. Those are the basis to propose a spatial toolkit that identifies design principles and architectural devices that could be generalized to other design contexts. Based on this theoretical and statistical work, the intervention is conducted in three schools in Turin, an experiment that follows a morphological and typological study as the base for identifying the transformative potential of the outdoor spaces. As a result, it has been possible to create the first spatial toolkit that summarises and conceptualizes design tools that could be put in action on school open spaces. Those strategies must improve the quality of the available space for a possible regeneration and new relations between the city and the school buildings, giving children the opportunity to have innovative outdoor learning activities and practical classes. Resumen: Esta investigación tiene como objetivo identificar un modelo transformador para regenerar los edificios escolares de primer ciclo en la ciudad postpandemia. Partiendo de la infraestructura escolar de Turín y en comparación con casos internacionales, la investigación se centra en los espacios al aire libre, pensados como un recurso para enfrentar la situación crítica de la pandemia y facilitar la integración de procesos de aprendizaje innovadores. Los resultados del análisis en dos pasos se concentran, en primer lugar, en todo el stock de edificios escolares de primer ciclo en Turín y, en segundo lugar, en una selección de casos representativos. Esas son la base para proponer un conjunto de herramientas espaciales que identifica principios de diseño y dispositivos arquitectónicos que podrían generalizarse a otros contextos de diseño. Sobre la base de este trabajo teórico y estadístico, la intervención se lleva a cabo en tres escuelas de Turín, un experimento que sigue un estudio morfológico y tipológico como base para identificar el potencial transformador de los espacios al aire libre. Como resultado, ha sido posible crear el primer kit de herramientas espaciales que resume y conceptualiza las herramientas de diseño que podrían ponerse en práctica en los espacios abiertos de la escuela. Esas estrategias deben mejorar la calidad del espacio disponible para una posible regeneración y nuevas relaciones entre la ciudad y los edificios escolares, brindando a los niños la oportunidad de tener actividades innovadoras de aprendizaje al aire libre y clases prácticas.

Abstract: Bogotá Social Backbone proposes the development of a backbone of social infrastructure for the most needed people in Bogota, those who usually do not have access to the professional services of an architect. I selected three ""free"", abandoned, and problematic spaces along the Caracas Avenue in Bogotá, and three clients who inhabit them; a drug addict who was displaced from El Bronx, a prostitute from Santafé neighborhood and a recycler from Caracas 59. Social architecture is proposed with the objective of being a platform for these people to reintegrate into society with dignity, providing minimal housing, as well as places for training and for the development of a life project. Resumen: Bogotá Social Backbone propone el desarrollo de una columna vertebral de infraestructura social para las personas más necesitadas de Bogotá, aquellas que normalmente no tienen acceso a los servicios profesionales de un arquitecto. Seleccioné tres espacios ""libres"", abandonados y problemáticos a lo largo de la Avenida Caracas en Bogotá y tres clientes que los habitan; un drogadicto desplazado de El Bronx, una prostituta del barrio Santafé y un reciclador de la Caracas con 59. La arquitectura social se propone con el objetivo de ser una plataforma para que estas personas se reintegren dignamente a la sociedad, proporcionándoles una vivienda mínima, así como lugares para la formación y para el desarrollo de un proyecto de vida.

Architecture in a City Without Architects is the dissertation thesis for the Master in Sustainable and Resilient Architecture, in the framework on continuity and identity, which aims to cooperate with Nepal’s government in the reconstruction process after the devastating earthquakes of 2015 that affected that country. Focusing in Kathmandu’s city since it is the most populated and the most affected by the temblor as well as urban issues, this document presents an analysis with the main goal is to understand the current life’s conditions of this city; economical limitations, social concerns, isolated location and indochinese mentality. Therefore, a better approach to local perspective is achieved, questioning some paradigms from western mind. Translating this research to architectural and urban matters the investigation focuses on the accelerated and unplanified densification that affects the city specially in the center where oldest and more traditional neighbourhoods are located. And, the possible role of architecture on a system grounded in self-construction and non-regulations, out of reach of local authorities. Finally the understanding in consideration with architectural potential is apply to a specific case generating a proposal that aims to advocate for incorporate self -construction as economical support in order to add technical expertise that contribute in problems such as supplies lack, city’s ventilation, and gentrification. The specific strategy is the incorporation of high technology applied by bottom-up methods in order to get a passive system of oxygenation that use the current typology of narrow courtyards forced by the densification.

The Green and Blue Network (GBN), also known as Green Infrastructure (GI) or Ecological Main Structure, is a strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas (including terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems) that have location, extension, connections, health condition and multiple functions; designed and managed to provide a wide range of ecosystem services (ES) in urban and rural settings. The Metropolitan Area of Lyon, France and the Region of Hanover, Germany have both integrated the GBN in their planning documents and are currently in the phase of implementation. The comparison of these case studies shows that GBN, along with a territorial governance scheme, gives higher importance to biodiversity and nature conservation in a development strategy and moves planning discussions towards climate change adaptation and mitigation using nature. However, results of implementation so far, in terms of protection level and functionalities are not enough to guarantee sustainable development. Likewise, climate change, an important threat to our ecosystems, is not yet clearly adopted in the planning documents, nor in the planners’ discourse. The reasons are found in the design and implementation steps where the concepts of ES, landscape functions and principles of GI play a key role. All in all, this paper provides lessons to encourage and guide GBN implementation by planners worldwide. La Red Verde y Azul (GBN), también conocida como Infraestructura Verde (GI) o Estructura Principal Ecológica, es una red planificada estratégicamente de áreas naturales y seminaturales (incluidos los ecosistemas terrestres y acuáticos) que tienen ubicación, extensión, conexiones, salud condición y múltiples funciones; diseñado y gestionado para proporcionar una amplia gama de servicios ecosistémicos (ES) en entornos urbanos y rurales. El Área Metropolitana de Lyon, Francia y la Región de Hannover, Alemania, han integrado la GBN en sus documentos de planificación y actualmente se encuentran en la fase de implementación. La comparación de estos estudios de caso muestra que GBN, junto con un esquema de gobernanza territorial, otorga mayor importancia a la biodiversidad y la conservación de la naturaleza en una estrategia de desarrollo y mueve las discusiones de planificación hacia la adaptación y mitigación del cambio climático utilizando la naturaleza. Sin embargo, los resultados de la implementación hasta el momento, en términos de nivel de protección y funcionalidades, no son suficientes para garantizar el desarrollo sostenible. Asimismo, el cambio climático, una amenaza importante para nuestros ecosistemas, aún no se adopta claramente en los documentos de planificación ni en el discurso de los planificadores. Las razones se encuentran en los pasos de diseño e implementación donde los conceptos de ES, funciones de paisaje y principios de IG desempeñan un papel clave. En general, este documento proporciona lecciones para alentar y guiar la implementación de GBN por parte de planificadores de todo el mundo.