During the visit of the Academic Mission of the University of Tokyo within the framework of the Japan-Colombia Academic Dialogue, an agreement was reached in which the Government of Japan contributed the architectural, urban and technical park design to the Municipal Plan of Parks Libraries of the Municipality of Medellín, of the Belén Library. For this agreement, the architect Hiroshi Naito was selected as the creator of the project.
Naito, who has a great national and international recognition for his work, carried out his work supported by a team of architects and engineers of the Laboratory of Landscaping and Civil Design of the University of Tokyo. This work was coordinated in Colombia by the Urban Development Company of the Municipality of Medellín (EDU).
The Architectural and Urban Design presented by Professor Naito proposes a project that aims at the urban and sustainable regeneration of the city.
This project wants to rescue the best of Western and Eastern cultures, and give great importance to the potential of the city in the environmental and landscaping field; all this in a project that consolidates public and private spaces in a unique space, where the urban and the natural converge.
With an investment of 15,368.3 million pesos (4.8 USD Millions), the Belén Library Park has an area of 14,991 m² (161361.7 Sq Ft) of which the built area is 5,223 m² (56219.90 Sq Ft) distributed in 15 buildings where you can find services such as: children's and adult collections, toy library, Mi Barrio room (community space), Japanese culture room, Cedezo (entrepreneur helps), 2 business incubator premises, 6 training workshops, computer room with 98 computers, 315 chairs in the Theater, exhibition hall, 3 shops, Music School , 2 coffee shops and public parking. And 9,768 m² (105141.88 Sq Ft) of public space that is developed in three public scenarios differentiated according to their urban relationship and around which 15 buildings are available to organize especially the whole.
As for the architectural theme, Libraries Park is where the facilities of the SIJIN (ancient antinarcotic agency) and the old Belén Police Station were located. The spaces that make up the set are: The central space or Plaza del Agua ( water Square) that aims to be the place for meditation and silence, grouping the activities of the Library; and the other two spaces arranged on the access roads and squares, propose on the 76th Avenue, the People's Square accompanied by the service and support activities to the community and in relation to the Carrera 80 La Plaza Verde (Green Square) as a space for the rest and the development of activities proposed by the School of Music. The design of the buildings is based on the idea of the Andalusian patios of the colonial houses since there are 15 blocks located around the three squares.
