Parque de la Paz
Meta, Colombia
Culture / Experience / Landscape / Masterplanning
A landscape of memory where paths, scars and light transform the experience of conflict into a journey towards peace.
Parque de la Paz was conceived as a landscape of memory and reconciliation following more than fifty years of civil conflict in Colombia.
Located within a 62,000 m² landscape in the Meta region, the project asks how architecture can commemorate the past without becoming simply a monument to it.
Rather than placing an object within the landscape, the landscape itself becomes the memorial. Paths, topography, architecture, water and vegetation form a journey through memory — from fragmentation and darkness towards gathering, light and peace.
Concept
Design concept
A landscape that grows from a tree
The project begins with the organising logic of a tree.
A primary route forms the trunk, while a network of smaller paths branches across the existing hills and valleys. These routes divide, intersect and reconnect, allowing visitors to choose different ways of experiencing the park rather than following a single prescribed journey.
Weathering-steel walls cut through the landscape like scars, interrupting the paths and becoming stairs, bridges and thresholds between different levels.
At the heart of the park, the Peace Museum is embedded within the hill. Visitors descend into a dark, contemplative space organised around water before gradually rising towards natural light and the Monument of Peace above.
The architecture transforms this movement from darkness to light into a spatial metaphor for the transition from conflict to peace.
Architecture
360° — drag to explore
Beyond sustainability
Sustainability
The environmental approach begins by working with the existing landscape rather than imposing a new geometry upon it.
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Paths and buildings respond to the natural topography, while the Peace Museum is integrated into the hill to reduce its visual presence and strengthen the relationship between architecture and terrain.
A restrained palette of concrete, weathering steel and glass was selected for durability and its ability to age naturally. Landscape, vegetation and architecture are conceived as a single evolving system in which the existing character of the site remains fundamental to the project.
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Integration with existing topography
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Landscape-led design
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Partially embedded architecture
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Minimal intervention on the natural terrain
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Durable, low-maintenance materials
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Materials designed to age naturally
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Pedestrian-first circulation
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Integration of architecture and vegetation
Project information
Technical information
Technical Information
The project is organised through a circulation system derived from the branching structure of a tree and adapted to the natural topography of the 62,000 m² site.
A primary route establishes the main axis through the park, while a network of secondary pedestrian paths extends across different levels of the landscape. These routes alternate between ground-level paths, elevated walkways, bridges and panoramic terraces, allowing the architecture to negotiate the existing hills and valleys with limited modification of the terrain.
Weathering-steel walls become part of this circulation infrastructure, operating as retaining elements, boundaries, stairs and bridges while establishing a consistent material language throughout the park.
The Peace Museum is embedded within the main hill and organised around a central body of water. A continuous spiral ramp, with gradients ranging approximately from 4% to 8%, guides visitors gradually through the exhibition and towards the upper landscape.
Concrete, weathering steel and glass form the principal architectural palette, selected for their structural clarity, durability and ability to express the passage of time.
Architecture, structure and circulation are conceived as extensions of the landscape rather than independent objects placed within it.