The Design Fair
With over 20,000 participants and the presence of more than 180 national and international brands, the ninth edition of The Design Fair was celebrated from the 14th to the 16th, held at the Plaza Mayor Medellín Convention and Exhibition Center, Colombia.
Reading time: 5 minutes
Under the motto #EverythingIsDesign, the 2022 edition of The Design Fair focused on strengthening the relationships between participating brands, the market, and business opportunities. It offered spaces for connection and exchange of knowledge, trends, current industry insights, as well as promoting tools for the development of strategies that favor the growth of the sector.
Among the activities on Friday the 15th, GP organized a panel titled "Hybrid, Mixed, and Polycentric," aimed at contrasting different viewpoints about the functioning of cities, the role of mixed-use projects in them, and the importance of integration, mobility, and sustainability within their operations.
The panel included Ricardo Fernández, Regional Business Development Manager of GP, Juan Fernando Molina del Valle (Chairman of the Board of the Colombian Society of Architects Antioquia Regional), Lucas Gómez (General Manager of Trazos Urbanos SAS), and was moderated by Michael Molina (Regional Partner, 4S Real Estate).
The conversation initiated from a single question with the goal of addressing a central theme from the different viewpoints of all panel members: What are the trends in city design that help create healthy communities? Lucas Gómez, Ricardo Fernández, Michael Molina, Juan Fernando Molina del Valle.
Juan Fernando Molina began by sharing his vision from the perspective of Colombian architecture, introducing the concept of "15-minute cities." He mentioned that "it is a global concept being implemented in major metropolises (...) based on four important concepts: lower CO2 emissions, sociability among people, outdoor congregation, and reduced travel." He also stated that in the city of Medellín, tests are already being conducted based on this concept in communes 6 and 7, where residents can access all necessary services without having to travel to the city center.
Ricardo Fernández continued the conversation, providing a global perspective focused on the international experience of various urban projects currently underway in the Studio, such as Montemagna in Ecuador or +Colonia in Uruguay. Among various ideas, Ricardo highlighted that "To be able to offer everything within 10 or 15 minutes, (...) it is fundamental to have intensifications of densities and uses, ensuring green and integrated public spaces."
Then Lucas Gómez, in his role as a residential and tourist Real Estate developer, shared his perspective on the benefits that these types of improvements in the urban footprint of cities bring for the profitability of different projects. Regarding his business development, he commented that "As we have evolved, we discovered that for the business to be truly profitable and attractive (...) there must be a creation of value, both for the client and for us."
