Joaquín Antonio Uribe Botanical Garden Orquideorama, Medellin, Colombia In 2005, Plan B Architects won a competition organized by the Medellín Botanical Garden to design a garden for the exhibition of orchids, the Colombian national flower. Given the mild climate of Medellín, where the average temperature is 24°C (75°F), the Orchid House offers a large canopy for protection from direct sunlight and frequent unexpected showers, while permitting people to freely circulate at ground level. The design consists of a flexible system which allows for future expansion. This system is defined by a single structure, which the architects call a ‘flower-tree’. In plan, the structure looks like a flower, while in elevation, it looks like a tree. Seven hexagonal modules form each ‘flower-tree’: six form the canopy and the remaining one provides structural support. Although the original proposal included only ten ‘flower-trees’, the system allows for the addition of more structures in case of future development. Each ‘flower-tree’ is made of a metal structure which supports a simple yet magnificent wooden lattice. In daytime, the lattices filter the sunlight, casting shadows on the floor and creating a pleasant, open-air exhibition space. At night, upward lighting dramatizes the wooden patterns. The hexagonal shape of the basic module and the dynamic growth proposed by adding successive ‘flower-trees’ is reminiscent of Kisho Kurokawa in the early years of Japanese Metabolism. The rigorous systematic arrangement of modules determines both the structure’s current use and its future development. - Phaidon Atlas
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 18:26:02 +0000
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