St. Claver Pavilion

Santandercito, Colombia

Category Education | Cultural
Job type Commission
Date 2016-2018
Size 395 m²
Client Compañía de Jesús
Status Built
Photos deiz veinte | TALLER Architects

The retreat manor

Located near Bogotá, the pavilion is part of a retreat complex for a religious community. The main building of the complex is an existing manor that offers basic accommodation and services for visitors. The new building is part of an upgrade on the services of the manor. In addition to the new chapel, the pavilion creates additional spaces for meetings and classes for the seminarists.

Symmetric complex

The pavilion is an extension of the manor. It emphasizes the symmetry axis of the manor by mirroring, on the east side, the footprint of the existing restaurant. Which was also a previous extension of the original manor.

Activating the plaza

The original main entrance of the existing manor was in disuse. Visitors were accessing from behind, through the access closer to the parking lot. The pavilion, along with the new chapel and the existing restaurant, restitute the central character of the original entrance, creating a civic plaza.

Visual relations

The pavilion preserves the uninterrupted views from the manor terraces towards the coffee plantations of the area and the cloud forest surrounding the complex. It has a low profile on the facade, continuing the line of the existing plinth. The meeting rooms are glazed to keep the views from the basement as well.

Expansion areas

The pavilion has four small meeting rooms and a small auditorium for special events. The spaces open to the exterior for greater flexibility in the uses, and a closer relationship between the users and the landscape.