ATRIO Towers / Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners + El Equipo Mazzanti

Read the original version in Spanish here.

In early 2015, the British firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) presented the first images of ATRIO, its first project in Bogotá. Designed in collaboration with El Equipo Mazzanti, the project will become the tallest building in Colombia, reaching a height of 268 meters and easily surpassing the yet-to-open BD Bacatá (216 meters).

Described by Giancarlo Mazzanti as "an urban transformation project," ATRIO will feature two towers: the north tower, dedicated to offices and currently under construction, will rise 48 stories and 201.6 meters, while the south tower will reach 64 stories and a height of 268 meters for mixed use, including residential, office, and hotel spaces. In addition, its base will feature 10,000 square meters of public space, leading Mazzanti to state that ATRIO "mends an urban fracture."

In August 2016, the company CEMEX announced that it had completed pouring the foundation slab in a continuous 38-hour period, marking the start of construction on the north tower. Two years after this milestone, we present the construction status of ATRIO, as described by its developers.

Official Description: ATRIO, the new heart of Bogotá, comprises a total built area of 250,000 m2, including a generous public open space of over 10,000 m2—representing two-thirds of the ground area. This space will be complemented by other features designed for well-being, such as the canopy structure (a 3,600 m2 glass roof that protects against the elements) and the pavilions (four 4.2-meter-tall lightweight structures designed for commercial use).

This spaciousness is also reflected inside the towers, where each floor will offer 2,000 m2 with a floor-to-ceiling clear height of 2.80 meters. In the north tower, the usable office space per floor will be 1,800 m2.

The project is located in downtown Bogotá, at the intersection of Caracas and El Dorado avenues, a junction where the headquarters of many of the country's most prominent companies converge and an area through which more than 75,000 people pass daily. The design of the towers includes a 30-meter-high atrium, creating the feeling of a grand, welcoming, and seamless entrance.

ATRIO's steel structure features prominent orange diagonal bracing that, in addition to providing a unique architectural expression, serves as seismic support. A total of 18,850 tons of steel will be used to construct the two towers—double the amount used for the Eiffel Tower. Regarding the concrete structure, 7,369 cubic meters of concrete were used for the north tower's foundation slab alone, equivalent to pouring the contents of 1,000 concrete mixers simultaneously.

ATRIO Towers / Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners + El Equipo Mazzanti - Image 3 of 12 — Estado de construcción de las torres ATRIO en mayo de 2018. Image Cortesía de ATRIO

The facade is virtually a tailored suit, designed to maintain optimal indoor climate conditions through a cavity that provides thermal and acoustic insulation while also protecting against pollution and solar radiation. In the north tower alone, 5,821 glass panels will be used.

This philosophy of integrating the city with its people is a key contribution of the British architecture firm Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners (RSH&P), designers of Terminal 4 at Madrid-Barajas Airport (Spain) and the Centre Pompidou in Paris (France). Their approach focuses on creating open, generous public spaces and fostering a strong relationship with the surroundings.