Community Center San Juan de Dios
Restoration and adaptation project in a modern heritage market
In a building with one of the most significant heritage designations for constructions erected after 1900, the Colmena Project of Mercado Libertad represents an adaptation of the area that formerly housed the medical clinic and daycare center. This project embodies the vision of Architect Alejandro Zohn, who conceived the idea of creating a community care space involving the tenants, their families, and the primary users, a diverse and complex population. Since its initial conception, the Architect deemed it crucial to foster ownership and identity towards the market by the tenants themselves. The initiative involved the rehabilitation of 2000 square meters that had been abandoned since 2009.
The proposal of the Colmena Project focuses on respecting the original architectural design, as well as its structure and function, maintaining the existing modulation of the building, its main corridors, and its language of materials. It is a straightforward rehabilitation aimed at creating flexible classroom and workshop spaces that will be part of the Colmena Community Center. This center will host a comprehensive program covering community health care, education, art, culture, sports, environment, workshops, and crafts. The project is being developed in a participatory manner, taking into account the needs of the merchants to generate, rehabilitate, and revitalize the space.
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