Simón Vélez is a Colombian architect recognized for using guadua as a structural material in his projects. Vélez is a critical thinker about architecture and construction, which has led him to question the impact of architecture over time. Beyond adhering to a concept of sustainability, Simón Vélez remains true to the principle that good architecture should last for many years. For this reason, his main inspiration comes from traditional materials. He also reflects on new industrialised materials that simplify design processes without concepts and reduce the potential to build a durable and adaptive space.
Vegetal Steel by Simón Vélez
The discovery of guadua as vegetal steel by Simón Vélez was driven by a client´s demand. The client requested a horse stable made from guadua. Guadua is a material that grows quickly in the temperate conditions typical of Colombia. Being an affordable material available in different parts of the country, it carries social connotations of poverty and precariousness, and therefore, people do not use it as a construction element. Despite this prejudice against using this material for construction, Vélez explored its hollow tubular form and reinforced the joints with an injection of iron and concrete to increase the strength of the guadua. According to Vélez, no specialised technology was required to achieve this breakthrough; he only needed to cut a soda bottle to use as a funnel to pour the cement into the guadua.
Vélez addresses technical aspects to prevent the early deterioration of the vegetal steel construction system. He uses concrete bases to keep the guadua from direct contact with the ground and moisture. In this way, Vélez emphasises the difference between architecture that lasts 100 years and architecture that deteriorates in 5 years. In colloquial terms, he expresses that architecture should be balanced and “more vegetarian.” What the architect means is that construction materials should complement each other, rather than being saturated with materials that do not meet the basic needs of comfort. Vélez gives the example of zinc roofing, which accelerates heat gain in warm climates and heat loss in cold climates, being counterproductive to user well-being. In contrast, a clay tile roof is a better solution that regulates interior temperatures.
The Materialization of Architectural Design
Among Vélez’s many qualities, he highlights his ability to communicate the architectural project through freehand technical drawing as a guiding instrument for the construction team and his clients. Although for new generations of architects, this may seem like an old and outdated practice compared to the many benefits offered by digital tools, Vélez demonstrates that a comprehensive understanding of the project does not solely depend on the latest cutting-edge technologies. Instead, it relies on developing creative, spatial, and practical skills that contribute to the technical and construction details necessary to materialise ideas.
Limitations in architectural design are not merely caused by materials digitalization or construction technologies. It is enough to recognize the properties a material offers to explore innovative and sustainable spatial configurations. Vélez’s innovation also addresses the construction process, as many of his clients are from abroad and request large structures overseas. Guadua is produced in Colombia and needs to be exported like any other industrialised material. However, the uniqueness of constructing with guadua is that Vélez has created 1:1 scale models of a module of the structure to prepare custom-sized pieces and iterate the structure beforehand, before sending it to the final destination for on-site construction.
Vélez shares his experience with photographer Gregory Colbert, who required a pavilion in Mexico for the Nomadic Museum. The design respected the memory of previous editions of the museum, incorporated shipping containers as a complementary material, and used traditional truss typology. Additionally, he used oil pipes for the foundation because the ground could not be altered due to the requirements of the Mexico City government. Thus, he created curved serpentine structures that functioned as the base and enclosure, culminating at the top with a straight beam. Despite having an organic aesthetic finish, this structure’s primary function was to support the pavilion. Even before construction began, there were unforeseen issues with the anti-narcotics police due to the large shipment of guadua from Colombia to Mexico.
Guadua at the Hannover 2000 Expo
At the request of the non-governmental organisation ZERI (Zero Emissions Research Initiatives), Vélez was tasked with constructing a mushroom-shaped pavilion using vegetal steel. The ZERI pavilion at the Hannover 2000 Expo represented the principles of zero emissions, cultivable architecture, and the economic exploitation of coffee biodiversity. Guadua, being a naturally sustainable material of plant origin, easily accessible, and fast-growing, became the centrepiece of Vélez’s work in Germany. The project involved approximately 350 people, including Colombian architects, engineers, and workers, to assemble 3,000 guadua pieces and 1,000 wooden pieces, thereby constructing the 2,000-square-metre pavilion. This project was the first example of architecture using vegetal steel and became the emblem of Simón Vélez’s architectural approach.
Simón Vélez is an architect who, without aiming to be environmentally correct, seeks to create architecture that lasts a lifetime. Without the pretensions of being labelled a sustainable architect, he is a critical thinker in the profession who takes risks to achieve new results. Through numerous interviews, it is possible to get to know the artist behind the work and understand that the greatest ideas are often the most practical. Using local and traditional materials from a region affected by violence and armed conflict, Simón Vélez revitalises Colombian guadua and transforms it into a material with infinite formal and spatial capabilities that represent a country rich in biodiversity like Colombia.
References:
EL TIEMPO (2016). Entrevistas con María Beatriz Enchandía: Simón Vélez | El Tiempo (Interviews with María Beatriz Enchandía: Simón Vélez). [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR7sjP5iZDA [Accessed 9 July 2024].
TECHNOVERSO (2021). Simón Vélez [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=400DHPROXIg&t=2222s [Accessed 9 July 2024].
Sociedad Colombiana de Arquitectos SCA (2024). Simón Vélez [online]. Available at: https://sociedadcolombianadearquitectos.org/team/simon-velez/ [Accessed 9 July 2024].
Canal CityTv (2015). Días de gloria: Simón Vélez | CityTv [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNdqU2QLnD0&t=4s [Accessed 9 July 2024].
Inhaus Revista (2022). Simón Vélez: el arquitecto pirata de Colombia (Simón Vélez: The Pirate Architect of Colombia) [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9xJE_PFGCw [Accessed 9 July 2024].
El Espectador (2019). Simón Vélez: “odio a los comunistas, a los militares y a los curas” | El Espectador (Simón Vélez: “I hate communists, the military, and priests”) [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4rrVwB8440 [Accessed 9 July 2024].
AXXIS (2017). «La arquitectura tiene que saber equilibrar entre lo mineral y lo vegetal»: Simón Veléz (“Architecture must know how to balance between the mineral and the vegetal”: Simón Vélez) [online]. Available at: https://revistaaxxis.com.co/arquitectura/simon-velez-50-revista-axxis/ [Accessed 9 July 2024].
Simón Vélez. Simon Velez projects [online]. Available at: http://www.simonvelez.net/projects.html [Accessed 9 July 2024].
Vélez, S. and Villegas, M. (2016). ZERI Pavilion, EXPO 2000, Hanover, Germany. In Building with Bamboo: Design and Technology of a Sustainable ArchitectureSecond and revised edition (pp. 134-135). Berlin, Boston: Birkhäuser. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783035608656-035
