Reconfiguración Espacial de la Torre Residencial como Arquitectura de Densidad Adaptativa

Abstract

This research addresses the contemporary problems of multifamily housing in dense urban contexts, focusing specifically on the crisis of quality, homogenization, and spatial rigidity of residential towers in Medellín. The study evaluates how conventional real estate production prioritizes the systematic reduction of living areas and the standardization of typical floor plans, disconnecting itself from the real needs of a population characterized by the heterogeneity of its lifestyles. Using the Design Inquiry Methodology, the NEXT21 (Osaka, 1993) and Tenjincho Place Apartment Complex (Tokyo, 2023) projects are comparatively analyzed as conceptual laboratories that reinterpret modern and contemporary principles—from Japanese metabolism and Open Building theory to minimalism—to resolve the challenges of spatial flexibility and community space. As a response applicable to the Altos de Calasanz sector (Medellín), an "Adaptive Density Architecture" model is formulated through the implementation of three towers of 15, 17, and 19 stories arranged in an arc on a 45% sloping topography. The architectural and urban proposal is articulated three-dimensionally through five fundamental design strategies: •Synaptic Bays: Implements a strict separation between a fixed service area (support) and a multipurpose living area (infill) to accommodate diverse typologies (studio apartments, twobedroom units, and duplexes) capable of transforming over time. •Biomimetic Veil: Develops a continuous, glazed envelope that visually unifies the towers, passively mitigating direct solar radiation and promoting natural cross-ventilation. • Dynamic Chronotopia: Introduces the dimension of time into both the residential units and the communal facilities, sequencing their uses according to daily cycles to optimize spatial efficiency and avoid idle areas. •Harmonic Synapse: Configures a common, stepped, underground base slab that absorbs the technical and parking infrastructure, stabilizing the slope and freeing the base plane exclusively for pedestrian flow. • Metamorphic Nexus: Defines the protected central void or courtyard as the regulating core of the complex, dissipating traffic pressures, promoting socio-spatial integration, and giving the project asense of community identity. The research demonstrates the technical and regulatory viability (under the Medellín Land Use Plan) of this model, concluding that high-density vertical housing can operate as a living, resilient, and emotionally significant infrastructure, where shared space has the same architectural weight as the private units.