Tropicario Bogotá Botanic Garden / DARP - De Arquitectura Y Paisaje

Architects: DARP – De Arquitectura y Paisaje
Area: 3787 m²
Year: 2020
Photography: Mauricio Carvajal
Lead Architects: Jaime Cabal, Jorge Buitrago
Engineering: CNI Ingenieros
Landscape: DARP – De Arquitectura y Paisaje, Jardín Botánico de Bogotá
Coordinator: David Carmona
Competition Phase: Melisa Arango, Carlos Andrés Palacio, Sara Olier, Benjamín Gómez, Mateo Agudelo, Dg. Adriana García
Development Phase: Jamie NG, Teresa Tognetti Bottone, Carlos Andrés Palacio, Cristian Camilo Ríos, Milena Jaramillo, Sebastián Rosas, Héctor Ospina, Mauricio Álvarez, Katherine Agudelo, Dg. Adriana García
Landscaping: Carlos Betancur, Nadia Guacaneme
Collaborators: SISTEC – Sistemas Integrados de Energía Y Tecnología SAS
City: Bogotá
Country: Colombia

Tropicario Bogotá Botanic Garden, designed by DARP – De Arquitectura y Paisaje, is a key part of Bogotá’s Botanical Garden, spanning 3787 m². Completed in 2020, this project integrates seamlessly with its surroundings, emphasizing conservation and education. Located on the Bogotá Savanna, the design incorporates a system of flexible forms to preserve existing wax palms and functions as an educational space to promote awareness of environmental values and threats. The architecture combines passive temperature control systems, floating modules representing different ecosystems, and a closed water cycle for sustainable irrigation.

Tropicario bogotá botanic garden / darp - de arquitectura y paisaje

Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, is situated in the center of the country at 2,600 meters above sea level. The city occupies the Bogotá Savanna, a plateau part of the eastern mountain range of the Andes, bordered by the eastern hills and the Bogotá River. Around 20,000 years ago, this area was a large lake, now reduced to remnants due to urban development, with wetlands shrinking from 50,000 hectares to only 727. This decline reflects a broader issue of widespread ignorance about the ecological importance of wetlands.

Colombia’s rich environmental heritage contrasts with its high levels of deforestation and raw material exploitation. Problems like illegal mining, extensive cattle ranching, and indiscriminate logging have placed Colombia among the top eight countries responsible for half of the planet’s environmental degradation. To combat this, the Bogotá Botanical Garden launched the “Nodes of Diversity” initiative, aiming to conduct new botanical expeditions across Colombia to protect and value its most threatened ecosystems.

El Tropicario, the centerpiece of this initiative, is an exhibition space showcasing the results of these expeditions. Located on the footprint of a deteriorated old structure, the project prioritized the conservation of surrounding wax palms, a slow-growing, endangered species. With more than 70 adult palms around El Tropicario, flexible architectural forms were used to avoid harming the trees.

Integrating El Tropicario into the Botanical Garden’s structure and educational mission was crucial. Designed for walking, the architecture encourages interaction with the landscape, addressing how to relate the project to the Bogotá Savanna. The building functions as a system of interconnected parts, promoting environmental education and awareness.

Different program areas within El Tropicario are conceptualized as floating spaces within a wetland, reflecting the Bogotá Savanna ecosystem. Inspired by pre-Hispanic amphibian architecture, the project includes six collections: Humid Forest, Dry Forest, Special Collections, Useful Plants, Superpáramos, and Biodiversity. Each space has specific height, temperature, and humidity requirements and is connected through an artificial wetland.

Passive temperature control systems are employed, utilizing varied glass thicknesses and filters, with automated systems for ventilation. Rainwater is collected via oculi and directed to lakes and the artificial wetland, creating a closed water cycle for irrigation. Transitional spaces, or “locks,” between collections maintain necessary environmental conditions, with technical controls and emergency exits.

El Tropicario emphasizes sustainable construction with concrete pillars driven 30 meters deep, freeing the interior soil for planting. The concrete walls support metal structures, forming self-supporting “structural baskets” without interior columns. This design fosters a landscape culture, highlighting local and global environmental concerns.