Peruvian architects utilized traditional building methods to facilitate and transform the Lima Cultural Center. The architectural design of this building has been effectively preserved, which features pink stonework.
(Photo : JAG Studio)
Lima Cultural Facility Transformation
Roman Bauer Arquitectos and ESArquitectura, two Peruvian architects, worked together to design a cultural institution in Lima consisting of a refurbishment and a new structure featuring traditional techniques and pink accents.
The proposal, as stated by the architects of the structure, establishes formal linkages with the built heritage while simultaneously emphasizing the intangible heritage, which consists of the knowledge and construction skills that have been developed since pre-Hispanic times but have been damaged by modernization to the point where they are on the edge of existence.
The office portion of the building is housed in a well-preserved monumental house distinguished by its pink stonework, which is set back from the sidewalk by a tiny entry courtyard along the street edge. Renovations have been made to the interior to accommodate four workstations, a bookstore, a kitchenette, and a cafeteria. Moreover, the conventional building method uses locally sourced materials with minimal environmental impact, but it also acknowledges the region's legacy and adapts to the weather and seismic activity of the Peruvian coast.
By capitalizing on the property's exposure to the sun and winds for an active bioclimatic response, the research rooms are naturally ventilated and brightened via slanted pyramidal roof forms known as teatinas, which are wind and light collectors.
In this instance, these techniques, typical of traditional buildings in Lima, have been adapted to enhance the perceived height of rooms without raising the total height of the building. This is done to conceal its existence from the street and avoid disrupting the tradition of the heritage house.
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Origins of the Center of Lima
Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish ruler, established the Historic Center of Lima in January 1535 in the areas that the Chiefdom of Rimac headed. Originally known as 'Ciudad de Los Reyes' or City of the Kings, it is situated in the Rimac Valley near the Rimac River.
Aside from being the most significant city in the Spanish dominions in South America, Lima served as the political, administrative, religious, and economic center of the Viceroyalty of Peru. In 1988, the historic core of Lima was reportedly designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its uniqueness and the great collection of landmark monuments built during the time of Spanish ownership.
Local crafters and people from the Old World worked together to create several of the city's buildings, including the Convent of San Francisco, the largest structure of its kind in this region of the world.
Accordingly, as a Spanish colonial city of immense political, economic, and cultural significance in Latin America, the Historic Centre of Lima attests to the city's urban development and architectural evolution. Due to its abundance of materials, climate, earthquakes, and the requirements of society, it is an extraordinary manifestation of a regional cultural process that protects its architectural, technological, typological, artistic, historic, and urban characteristics, which is also capable of preserving its urban values. In addition, during the colonial era in Latin America, San Francisco de Lima is a remarkable example of a convent ensemble and one of the most complete examples.
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