Santa Fé City Hall

Bogotá, Colombia

Category Institutional | Public Buildings | Infrastructure
Job type National Architecture Competition
Date 2018 -
Size 4,855 m²
Client Alcaldía Local de Santa Fé
Status Planning Permission

A Dialogue Between History and Modernity

Located in a privileged site within Bogotá’s historic center, the proposal for the new Santa Fé City Hall draws inspiration from the grid layout whose foundational heart is the 'Plaza de Bolívar'. The project seeks to establish a dialogue between the area’s rich historical context and the city’s modern identity, reinterpreting the values of modern architecture found along 'Carrera Décima'—also known as the Avenue of Modernity.

The proposal for the Santa Fé City Hall is inspired by the values of this modern architecture: timeless, functional and simple.

A contemporary reinterpretation of the most relevant architectural characteristics of the sector is proposed to establish a dialogue with the heritage context based on the following aspects:

Hierarchy of Open Spaces

Civic Presence

Façade – Architectural Expression

Urban Integration and Public Space: A New Civic Epicenter

The proposal creates a threshold that directly connects the interior civic space with the street. On the ground floor, as an extension of the pedestrian public realm, an urban threshold or 'zaguán' (urban foyer) is introduced to complement and enrich the area’s public life. The building’s base plays an active role in shaping the urban block, drawing the city’s public space into the heart of the project.

An Architecture with Civic Character

Through an L-shaped layout, the project defines an interior void that establishes its own civic universe, independent from the surrounding developments.

The vestibule—found in some of the most emblematic buildings of the historic center—is reinterpreted here as an urban 'zaguán' (urban foyer) that responds to the scale of the city. The proposal creates a threshold between the public realm and the institutional space.

The ground floor houses the areas with open access, such as exhibition spaces, commercial units, service counters, bicycle parking, and the entrance to the auditorium—offering paths and visual and physical connections at various levels.  At the center of the 'zaguán' (urban foyer) lies a semi-subterranean volume: a chest-like structure that holds the multipurpose hall.

The proposal aims to define and maximize the façades. Various elements of the façades are reinterpreted—such as the modulation and proportion of openings, verticality, symmetry, composition, materiality, and the interplay of solid and void.

The building’s public space as urban topography that connects the ground-floor vestibule and inner plaza with the auditorium through a stepped amphitheater.

The proposal aims to define and maximize the façades. Various elements of the façades are reinterpreted—such as the modulation and proportion of openings, verticality, symmetry, composition, materiality, and the interplay of solid and void.

The building’s public space as urban topography that connects the ground-floor vestibule and inner plaza with the auditorium through a stepped amphitheater.

Thinking Ahead: Spatial and Functional Flexibility

Due to the large spans of the zaguán, the upper structure is conceived as a suspended volume, hanging from a primary column framework. This approach frees the ground level and creates an open threshold to the city.

The building offers a structural framework capable of accommodating various changes in use over time. It is designed with versatility to respond to shifting functional needs in the medium and long term.

Materiality and Construction Process

The project’s material palette, along with the choice of structural system and other components, reflects a measured technical approach aligned with the local economy and construction capacities.

The façade features large-format exposed brick, aluminum framing is used to ensure weather tightness and thermal and acoustic insulation, and for the interior spaces, the focus is on high-quality materials that are locally sourced.