PICO estudio transforms urban venezuela with 5 spaces for peace

PICO estudio transforms urban venezuela with 5 spaces for peace- part 1
image by beto 369
all images courtesy of PICO estudio

in five troubled communities around venezuela abandoned lots, junkyards, and urban pockets have been transformed into community spaces for peace. the collective PICO estudio teamed up with several local firms as well as international firms, students, volunteers, and more importantly the community members themselves to pinpoint 5 strategic sites and convert them into productive structures that bring a sense of unity and safety. the six week long workshop is about more than erecting structures, it aims to bring about social change within the communities that are marked by violence and a general lack of connection or responsibility to ones own city- accomplished through architecture. the metamorphosis from a ruined site into usable public space built by the very members that live in the area introduces a a gesture not commonly seen in these zones, as well as pride amongst its citizens and a connection towards one another as they took part in contributing to the betterment of their tattered urban fabric.

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petare

in one of the densest slums of caracas, PICO estudio joined up with pgrc plataforma gestión residuos de ciudad and txp todo por la praxis to transform a self-built house occupying a footprint of roughly 120 m2 into a community space. what was once a drug trafficking venue now hosts a recording studio, a multipurpose area, computer area, a waiting area, bathrooms and a kitchenette on the first floor and a rooftop basketball court to offer a safer alternative to the street court improvised by the local children. the project began by analyzing the program that would be the most useful to the community- the design process nevertheless needed to be flexible in order to accommodate last minute changes and future uses. an analysis was undertaken to bring the home to structural capacity as well as to support the new program which is now within a retrofitted vibrantly green steel structure and entire walls of glass. at ground level, a mural covers the decrepit concrete foundation and brings new life to the street.

image by beto 369

image by beto 369

(left) rooftop basketball court
(right) entry to the rooftop court
image by beto 369

first floor computer lab
image by beto 369

entry into the structure
image by beto 369

before and after
image by beto 369

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los mangos

los mangos is a smaller squatter community founded in 2005 which now contains around 180 homes. with the help of al borde and 439 estudio arquiurbano, a covered courtyard of 200 m2 stands as a gate into the suburb. traffic barriers line the entry road clearly marking the route of passage for cars and also assuring a safe public space for children and families. in this case, the challenge was to bring together government resources, local fabricators, community members and architects. as the suburb is home to a large metal fabricator, the primary material chosen for the pavilion was steel. only touching the ground in pinpointed spots, a space-frame canopy spans long distances maximizing the usable sheltered area. colorful metal drums now speckle the landscape as planters and seats surrounding a multifunctional courtyard.

entrance to the suburb
image by beto 369

(left) pedestrian bridge to the site
(right) children can now enjoy a safe area to play in
image by beto 369

(right) before and after
image by beto 369

steel canopy detail with attached lights
image by beto 369

entrance to the site marked by colorful steel drums
image by beto 369

at night
image by beto 369

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el chama abono

axp arquitectura expandida and abono teamed up with PICO estudio on a very unique site with a drastic change in grade located in la comuna simon rodriguez, one of the more peaceful regions of the city. a hillside used as an impromptu trash site was converted into a terraced walkway, platform, and grilling area.  heavy gabion walls of stone gathered from the local river  help to retain the topography and provide a sturdy foundation for the steel platform that is supported up in the air. the site becomes a hub of transportation, linking several disjointed suburbs and establishing a bus stop. at the higher end of the site, a clearing surrounded by trees serves as a gathering space. a wooden platform interjecting into this space leads out to the platform of steel and wood hoisted above the ground creating a covered multi-purpose area.

entryway onto the steel platform which also marks the stone and concrete steps leading to the lower end of the site
image by beto 369

view of the walkways beneath
image by beto 369

activated gathering space
image by beto 369

multi-use platform
inside the activity space
image by beto 369

steel frame detail
image by beto 369

at night
image by beto 369

before and after
image by beto 369

to be continued in part 2….

project info:

project name: espacios de paz – venezuela
date: july – august 2014
organizers: comisión presidencial del movimiento por la paz y la vida
managing architects: pico estudio/ venezuela
collaborating architectural collectives: abono / venezuela; al borde / ecuador; axp arquitectura expandida / colombia; hsf hábitat sin fronteras / méxico; independiente / venezuela – españa, oficina lúdica / venezuela; pgrc plataforma gestión residuos de ciudad / venezuela; pico proyecto de interés comunal/ venezuela; pkmn pacmanarchitectures / españa; txp todo por la praxis / españa; 439 estudio arquiurbano / venezuela
communities: petare, la y 5 de julio / caracas, dtto. capital; pinto salinas, las 3 marías / caracas, dtto. capital; la florida, los mangos / valencia, edo. carabobo; capitán chico, santa rosa de agua / maracaibo, edo. zulia; el chama, la carabobo /mérida, edo. mérida
artistic production: comando creativo, pico estudio
logistics: c-4 colectivo
photo and video: beto 369, catia tv, fijú fuerza integradora de la juventud
collaborating institutions: construpatria, fundación musarq, gran misión saber y trabajo, inparques, frente francisco de miranda, movimiento por la paz y la vida, pdvsa la estancia