URBAN-LANDSCAPE DESIGN CENTRO CHIA

CHIA - COLOMBIA

2022

Identity Access Shopping Mall

The urban design focuses on the revitalization of the streets surrounding the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, located in Getsemaní, Cartagena de Indias, transforming them into a vibrant, flexible, human-centered, and sustainable public space.

This new public space model is based on the review and updating of key urban factors: heritage, enhancing its character and material value; public space and the concept of urbanity, placing people at the center, reinforcing proximity, and promoting multifunctional use; and green infrastructure, where nature becomes an ally in resilience and climate change mitigation. In this way, a new type of space is introduced— a new reference landscape that also has the potential to create a renewed urban identity for Getsemaní.

The recovery of this public space aims to create a place for those who inhabit it— a space that responds to the needs and aspirations of its residents, granting them rights and opportunities.

Safe, healthy, sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant spaces.

The objective is to humanize the use of inclusive public space, prioritizing pedestrians, as seen in most historic city centers worldwide, through these five goals:

Renders

Pacification and Regulation of Mobility

The Street as Public Space: The street is a public space designated for circulation, extending from building frontage to building frontage, where citizens move and interact. A street is not just the vehicular roadway; it encompasses the entire area between frontages, including sidewalks, vegetation, street furniture, bike lanes, lanes for public and private transport, medians, functional gardens, and safe pedestrian crossings, among other elements.

Reformulation of Traffic and Transit

Traffic Calming

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Sidewalk Improvement and Accessibility

WAYFINDING

Direct and continuous in its layout and surface. Connected with ramps and safe crossings, free of obstacles, and well-lit.

It supports the formation of ecological connectivity corridors, enhances environmental comfort, and mitigates the effects of climate change. It includes functional gardens, tree planting, and contributes to creating gathering spaces while integrating supportive elements for adjacent connectivity with Parque Centenario.

For mixed vehicular circulation, the design comprehensively improves the movement of non-motorized modes. Additionally, in the FPM strip, interventions allow for the creation of parking bays.

With a clear and safe layout that promotes constant speeds by avoiding level changes. It is positioned according to the recommendations of the city planning team, properly marked, and equipped with road safety elements.

Promenade

RE-NATURALLY UNIQUE

Bringing back the significance of the shopping center’s slogan, "Naturally Unique," through strategies of re-naturalizing its surroundings.

The concept of a continuous and uninterrupted Pompeian design envisions a seamless surface at the same level as the sidewalks, creating spatial, visual, and material continuity. This approach ensures full accessibility for all residents—children, the elderly, and people with disabilities—while prioritizing pedestrian movement over vehicular traffic. By removing these barriers, the traditional segregation of the street into different modes of transportation is eliminated, leveling the roadway into a single unified platform.

Flooring and pavement treatments vary according to usage zones (vehicular lanes and bike lanes), while intersections incorporate visual interest. These treatments not only enhance aesthetics but also reinforce additional traffic-calming strategies, making circulation patterns more visible and fostering a sense of safety and ownership of the space for all modes of movement.

Identidad de lugar a través del paisaje y la naturaleza

Oak Grove Forest

Master Plan for Landscape Enhancement

Furniture Design

Seeking to align with the identity that the shopping center aims to establish, the furniture design is based on the following principles:

Low carbon footprint impact.
Local production.
Adaptability to different scenarios and flexible use of space.
Modular elements.
Lightweight and durable design.
High-strength concrete material with fiberglass reinforcement, leveraging its mechanical, architectural, and functional advantages.