> Multispecies Refuge

La Calera, Colombia

2013

A family approached us to design a shelter in a rural area near Bogotá. The shelter had to serve as both a home and the headquarters of their small rural tourism company. The company specialised in hosting travelers interested in bird watching and offering yoga workshops. The project is located 16 km from Bogotá, in a unique biodiversity area, with a cold climate (the average daily temperature throughout the year is 9ºC and the average minimum is -1ºC) and high rainfall. The sub-paramo ecosystem in the tropical Andes is naturally very rich but vulnerable to the increasing expansion of human activity in the area. The project began at the same time as the peace agreement negotiations in Colombia were being developed. While the peace process was both necessary and urgent, it presents a challenge in terms of its significant impact on territorial dynamics.

As security improves in rural areas, there is an unprecedented potential for urban areas to expand into the countryside. This expansion is causing additional pressures on many areas with high ecological value. We agreed with this family that this house, along with the various landscape micro-actions that comprise the project, would serve as a small laboratory to experiment with responsible ways of inhabiting the territory. At the request of the future residents, our collaboration explored ecotourism strategies that promote harmonious, alternative forms of coexistence between humans and other animal species.  

At the request of the future residents, our collaboration explored ecotourism strategies that promote harmonious, alternative forms of coexistence between humans and other animal species.

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