Mirador del Duende / Universidad Católica de Pereira

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Technical Component: The construction process was based on a standard structure composed of the following chapters: preliminaries, foundation, wood portal frame structure, roof, enclosures, and finally finishes. The foundation was made using concrete footings, which consists of eight footings of 0.80x0.80x0.4 m, poured with 3000 PSI concrete compressive strength and pedestals of 0.30x0.30 and variable height with a perimeter of concrete blocks and the center with 3000 PSI concrete. The mezzanine floor was carried out using Chilean radiata pine beams; for the main beam sections, 2"x6" were used, and for the secondary beams, 2"x4", with a maximum spacing of 0.50 m. The base of the stairs was made with #14 concrete structural blocks and the surface with 1 1/2" thick wooden planks. The wood portal frame structure is composed of radiata pine wood blocks of 2"x6" for beams and 2"x6" blocks for columns. The roof is made up of pine wood rafters of 2"x2" responsible for supporting the thermoacoustic tile. The finishes are related to the construction of surfaces, leftovers, and reuse of cuts from structural elements such as beams, columns, and rafters, and other enclosure elements such as the floor, made with pine wood and formwork boards.Text description provided by the architects.Description of the experience: El Mirador El Duende, located in the Lisbrán estate in La Florida, Risaralda, is the result of a construction laboratory carried out in 2023 as part of an intersemester architecture program. This project focuses on the practical application of architectural concepts in a specific environment, allowing participants to integrate theory and practice in a real context. The choice of Lisbrán and La Florida as the setting responds to the natural and cultural richness of the region, providing an ideal space for experimentation and learning in architecture. This approach promotes holistic training, committed to sustainable development and the preservation of natural and ecological heritage. The Catholic University ofPereiraand the Water and Sewerage Company of Pereira, "Aguas y Aguas de Pereira", have established an agreement called "Let's Live the Basin". This program aims to promote environmental education and the preservation of natural resources in the Otún River Basin. Both entities combine their efforts, and technical, human, logistical, and financial resources to carry out joint environmental education strategies. They seek to promote governance in this area, involving diverse population groups related to local development. This project contributes to strengthening environmental governance and facilitates awareness-raising activities and the study of the ecosystem habitat, as well as protection processes in the upper and middle basin of the Otún River in Risaralda. SustainableEnvironmental Impact: The module, distinguished for its sustainability, goes beyond efficiency and aesthetics by becoming a symbolic bridge between architecture and environmental education. Designed and built by architecture students, the project not only creates a physical space but also a tangible educational legacy. This link merges practice with responsibility, turning students into ambassadors of a broad message. In design and construction, the efficient use of resources is prioritized, including the reuse of materials, achieving a project waste index of only 0.5%. Although the main function is to serve as a viewpoint, high priority is given to monitoring and controlling the wetland at the base of the mountain, a crucial part of the upper basin of the Otún River, vital for water collection in Pereira.