Architecture as a political device

introduction to the Library Parks Project in Medellín

Authors

  • Cauê Capillé, Dr. The Bartlett, School of Architecture, UCL, London

Abstract

The article reviews the role of Medellín’s Library-Parks within the Municipality’s political agendas of urban transformation, exposing the main questions that emerge from the explicit intention to assign to architecture the capacity to function as a tool for political strengthening. Thus, the aim of this work is less to ascertain if (or how) the libraries produce such effect, but to indicate the complex interrelation between architecture, cultural programmes and political involvement (between communities and state). Therefore, it is argued that the use of the Library-Parks as references to other contexts - as in the case of Rio de Janeiro - should consider a series of elements, if one intends to achieve the same "efficiency" Medellín apparently did with the libraries. This article works as an introduction to a series of other articles in which I analyse the functioning of Medellín's Library-Parks in regards to architecture, programme, use and political agendas.

Keywords: Medellín; public arquitecture; urban upgrading.

Author Biography

Cauê Capillé, Dr., The Bartlett, School of Architecture, UCL, London

Cauê Capillé graduated in Architecture and Urbanism from UFRJ (2011), where he worked in two research groups (receiving CNPq scholarship) and teaching assistant in four project disciplines from 2009 to 2011. In 2013, Cauê published the book Rio Metropolitan, who received an Honorable Mention for the ANPARQ 2014 Award, Honorable Mention at the IX Ibero-American Biennial and Honorable Mention at the IAB Annual Prize, in addition to being exhibited at the X São Paulo International Biennial. He received his PhD from the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL (London, 2016), where he worked as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant in two disciplines of the Master's Program Spatial Design - Architectures and Cities: Emerging Design Research and Architectural Phenomena (2014-2015). Recently, he was an Final thesis external examiner at several Architecture schools, including PUC-Rio (Rio de Janeiro), The Bartlett (London) and Columbia GSAPP (New York).

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Published

2017-07-10

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 3 (2017): Cidades Latino Americanas

Section

Artigos