I + D - March/April 2021 - 20

Design
Pulse
Medellín,
Colombia

A5 designed the 15-floor, 39-unit Obra
Trienta&Cinco apartment complex to
harmonize with its surroundings by integrating
local flora, fauna, and water features.
(Architecture: A5 Arquitectura;
Interior Design and Rendering: Tr3s 31)

Another project A5 has created to harmonize with its
El Poblado locale is Obra Treinta&Cinco, a 15-story luxury
apartment building with 39 residences and local flora and fauna
incorporated throughout. While Ramírez says " having atypical
floor plans on every level and generating a spatial randomness
in order to integrate the small- and medium-sized vegetation "
was challenging, his design team successfully strategized to
bring the lush foliage that is commonly located in gardens
and ground floors to the upper levels to form a building that's
lush with lively local greenery. By exploiting " the unique
relationship between the landscape, nature, and vegetation
proposed, " according to Ramirez, the designers have created a
dynamic structure that will stand out among the urban skyline
when it is completed in early 2023. The pandemic set this
project back by one year; construction will commence this July
with an estimated completion date slated for 18 months later.
Local Lift
In 2016, A5 partnered with Father Felipe Escobar on the creation
of Capilla Móvil, a mobile chapel where the priest could conduct
religious services and provide social work to city dwellers suffering
from homelessness. The project won the Colombian Biennial of
Architecture and Urbanism award in 2018. A5's Ramírez explains that
he and Vega met Father Escobar as the priest was " carrying out his
humanitarian mission without a backup infrastructure, " and they felt
compelled to offer their assistance and expertise. He says, " We helped
Father Escobar in the creation and construction of the mobile chapel,
and from the deep social impact it had with the city's more vulnerable
populations, a second initiative was born: the mobile barbershop. "
Escobar's vision for Barbería Móvil, completed by A5 last year, was to
service Medellín locals who live on the streets with " specific functional
requirements such as care capacity and autonomy " via a " durable
and easy-to-use structure, " Ramírez explains. " Aesthetically, the
barbershop is easily identified as such, through the use of color in a
clear and simple manner, evoking the blue, white, and red lines that
traditionally are associated with this business. "

Although Barbería Móvil was
completed in early 2020, due to
the pandemic, the barbershop
couldn't move through the city
for most of the year. Now it
services an average of 80 people
per morning shift daily.
(Design co-creators:
Nicolás Muñoz - A5 Arquitectura;
Photography: Luis Bernardo Cano)

However, while the barbershop might appear traditional or standard,
the concept behind it is anything but that: Instead, this is a unique
initiative intended to empower and give back to an often-forgotten
percentage of the community. " Regarding the dignifying of homeless
populations through the transformation of their physical appearance,
we believe it's something that hasn't been addressed towards the
betterment of social problems within the city, " Ramírez says of this
effort, which was funded entirely by donations obtained by Escobar.
" We believe in social retribution in our professional disciplines and
in the satisfaction of participating in real, highly impactful social
initiatives, which is why, when knowing the efforts of Father Felipe,
we immediately wanted to join him and contribute with everything
we had within reach. " A5 has a third initiative with Father Escobar
in the works that they are hoping to start developing soon.
DANINE ALATI
is a freelance writer and editor with a focus on
lifestyle and design content. Her work has appeared in
Architectural Digest's online vertical AD PRO, DuJour
magazine, Galerie magazine, Contract magazine, and
Home Design & Decor, among other outlets.

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