Dean's Lecture Series : MSD Events : Melbourne School of Design : University of Melbourne

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Lorenzo Castro
Architect, Bogotá, Colombia

BOGOTÁ=

The recent transformation of Medellín and Bogotá in Colombia are examples of dynamic and inclusive urban planning and design. Acclaimed Colombian architect Lorenzo Castro will survey how both cities, that share a history of rapid and disorganized growth, have constructed new public spaces since 1990 and invested in their most deprived areas. Through the creation of balanced and environmentally sustainable areas, both cities have been able to generate a ‘citizen’s culture’ and an enhanced quality of life for all.

Lorenzo Castro holds a degree in Architecture from the Javeriana University in Bogotá (1988). Between 1998 and 2001, he was Director of the city’s Taller Profesional del Espacio Público (Professional Studio of Public Space). Through Bogotá’s Spatial Plan (2000), Castro proposed a strategy for public plazas, a plan for pedestrian avenues, and gave definition to the TransMilenio bus rapid transit (BRT) project, as well as tracing the city’s network of cycle routes, and acting as a member of its Committee for District Parks.

Since 1990, Lorenzo Castro has lectured at various universities in Colombia including Javeriana, the National University of Colombia, Jorge Tadeo Lozano and Pontificia Bolivariana, and at the National University of Cuenca in Ecuador. He currently lectures at the University of the Andes. He has participated in international conferences and events in Mexico, the USA, Bolivia, Venezuela, the Dutch Antilles, Puerto Rico, Germany, Spain and in the UK. He has twice been awarded the National Karl Brunner Prize, and the Pan-American Prize for Architecture (both 2004 and 2010).

Exhibition: To coincide with the lecture, an exhibition curated by Lorenzo Castro and Alejandro Echeverri titled Colombian Architecture: A visual narrative of two cities will be held in the Wunderlich Gallery, 3-12 October 2011.

Opening: 6pm, Wednesday 5th October.

Image at top: Plaza Caidos in Bogotá

DEAN'S LECTURE SERIES 2011

LORENZO CASTRO