The Urban Retreat

Constructing a place of seclusion in Bogota, Colombia

Master thesis (2017)

Authors

M.E. Vreke Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

J.A. Mejia Hernandez (supervisor 1)
K.M. Havik (supervisor 1)
P.H.M. Jennen (supervisor 1)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2017 Matthijs Vreke
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Published Date

06-11-2017

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

Within the densely populated metropolis of Bogota, there are few places one can go to escape the chaos of the city. Spaces and places that provide seclusion from the rigorous, repetitive and stressful urban life are fundamental in the composition of a flourishing city.

This project tries to answer this need for seclusion within the city limits by combining two common typologies, the market hall and the bath house, into a two-faced building.

The market, that faces towards the city, comprises of a contiguous row of spaces that house small businesses, shops and market stalls. This ring of activity shelters the enclosed bath house from the chaos of the surrounding city, creating a hidden treasure. The secluded and introspective interior invites the visitor to step out of the everyday, allowing him to take the time to dream, reflect and contemplate.

Subsequently, this project is about the balance and contrast between the perimeter and the secluded. Between the extrovert and the introvert. Between the conventional and the extraordinary. The design proposal has proven to be both the method to explore these tensions, as well as the instrument that communicates the outcome of these questions.