The Project is emplaced at the border of two rival neighborhoods over one of the most injured sectors of the city. Violence, discrimination, early paternity, gangs and drugs are part of the daily social conditions.
Our objective was to create a social development detonator in the area where the young were our main focus, those who are at their most critical stage of growth and are more affected by its hostile surrounding. Urban studies reveal that part of the problem is that they lack proper infrastructure, parks, sport facilities and spaces for a healthy recreation, that’s why the project emerged as a response to the public space: a community center able to demolish the social walls between both neighborhoods.
Graffiti is part of the urban image, it works as an identity and belonging symbol between the young, but in this case most of the messages are hostile. We decided to play with this idea and transform our walls into books, transmitting strong social messages that are related to each respective interior use of the buildings. These words, as the form of a jealousy in the façade, is designed with different sizes that respond to the density required for the right control of solar irradiation.
3 Buildings is what makes this an architectonic complex. The main building has an administrative character: it’s formed by the main offices, a library, and a Congress Hall. The second building is focused on the speciality of AXIOS, teaching and reinstatement of the young to the school. This complex’s area is provided with classrooms and workshops in order to help the young develop their full potentials. The last building is an sports center, it’s located over the rival neighborhood and its purpose with the users is to give a new, flexible and fun urban space on the top of the building, where the plaza takes place and merge with the actual weft and infrastructure.
Over the entire complex, the user can move freely through the buildings, its respective plazas, the gardens and sports facilities without having to worry about the topography, thanks to the multiple ramps designed to be comfortable for the handicapped.
The form, the function, the context and the user are working together to make the Axios Community Center, the ideal solution not only for both neighborhoods, but the entire sector of the city. It rises from the very needs of the most deserted area.