Ecohotel Rural del Café en el Socorro, Santander

Abstract

According to The National Tourism Fund (FONTUR) (2020), Socorro has been declared Heritage Town of Colombia and certified as a Sustainable Tourist Destination, after meeting the requirements listed in the Sustainable Tourism Sector Standard NTS TS-001-1. Because of this certification and the many tourism and ecotourism attractions existing in this area, per year the number of tourists arriving to this town increases significantly. However, the offer of places for lodging is limited, as well as the offer of tourist attractions related to the coffee farming, although this is one of the most desired activities by national and international tourists. For these two reasons, this project proposes to provide a spatial and architectural solution to this need for hosting sites that comply the different sustainability standards established in this regulation, but also provide an opportunity for growth and development for the Colombian countryside, creating a new tourism initiative around coffee production. To reach this purpose, this project proposed a traditional design that allows to maintain and recover the architectural and cultural identity in this area. Besides, analyzing the social dynamics of the locals and the tourists, the design would not be disruptive and rather consistent with the environment in which it develops. Further, this project has the intention of suggesting local and sustainable materials such as wood, natural fibers like guadua, fique, cane, rattan, rammed earth walls and local stone.