The Masterplan needed to embody the same language of a weave, that has a continuous process. The process of weaving should be present within a passive, ecological design for the Wayuu.
A series of intensive mappings began us down a track to discover how weaving gets integrated directly into pathways used by the Wayuu. Several types of paths exist within the pastoral landscape of this group.
A hierarchy of pathways engage difference with the site of the Wayuu.
The map above depicts blue paths as dominant, green as secondary, tan and yellow as third and fourth respectively. The process in which this paths get created is sequential. Each road is added sequentially.
In this case phase one is refering to an adjacent commercial road that will be utilized by the Wayuu. When phase two is established, the Wayuu will passively and naturallly derive a path that weaves very carefully around vegatation to get to the commercial road. By phase three, we begin to see a pattern that replicates itself continuously throughout the landscape, a road that intersects both roads, establishing a internal node.
The creation of a node helped our team to discover areas that could be developed as a result of these internal conditions. With this in mind we would establish three major areas of emphasis, the civic center, the commercial area, and places for new rancherias to be incorporated.
An early iteration of how to establish major boundaries with this nodal places should us how the larger site might begin to represent the Wayuu who inhabit this land.
To begin looking at how these nodes might work as architectural centers, we would be reminded of an early study we undertook.
In the above example, we established early that we wanted to find ways to find networked centers by means of a weave. Early on, we wanted to find ways for pathways to naturally converge to become places for social and resource exchange.
Above is a map that shows existing rancherias outlined in red, dispersed around what would become our civic center in yellow, as well as and aqueduct just to the south. The map also describes the directness of a connection from the civic center to the commercial center to the northwest, just off a major commercial road.
For the master plan of Rancheria La Paz, our team has been inspired by the path-making and level of intimacy in the different areas of the site. In creating a new commercial hub, civic center, and Rancheria, the main concern is to connect the Wayuu to the westernized world, while protecting their livelihood and culture from overwhelming commercial exposure. We let the network created by the Wayuu, as they’ve meandered through the arid plain; indicate the location of the new programmatic elements of our Master Plan. It is important that existing Rancherias are not affected by the new commercial hub. The civic center, which is composed of a school and clinic, is allowed more integration to the Wayuu.
The Commercial Node
After close analysis of the interweaving of paths and of the nodes created in the landscape, it seemed appropriate to locate the commercial hub at the end of the large road leading to Manaure, next big city. The proposed commercial hub is ideally composed of open structures reminiscent of the Enramada. The Wayuu women can weave, while they sell their woven goods. The commercial hub also becomes a tourist attraction. It looks out to a scenic stretch of beach.
The procession into a Commercial Node begin off a modern, rigid boulevard and creates a barrier for the outsider.
The road that was once modern and derived from the city of Manaure now has been captured by a street of textile vendors. The commercial boulevard comes to an
end of the shop structures, asking that the oustider stay to the perimeter of Wayuu territory.
This place allows for an exchange of cultures, one modern, one ancient. The sell and making of textiles is put on display for the outsider to see.
The Civic Node
A few miles away from the commercial center, the civic center is located in an empty arid node, produced by overlapping pathways. It occupies a central position within the site and can easily provide to many surrounding Rancherias. Currently there is a school in Rancheria La Paz that provides education to all the other Rancherias. The goal is to stem from that existing structure and explore other possibilities of sustainability, such as distribution of water, and eco-gardens for food.
In Open Space, paths are still naturally defined by the movements of the Wayuu. These paths were determined from map analysis, looking for tire tracks and other makings to define the Wayuu's movement.
Above: An example of small education campuses may be composed of buildings within the Wayuu's vernacular building methods.
Above: A demonstration of how the structures might be inhabited by Children.
Nodes for Rancherias
Nodes on the Perimeter take on a very specific role for the Wayuu. For years as water has become scarce, the search for adequate water resources has been very difficult. This semi-nomadic tribe is sometimes force to travel for long distances with herds to sustain an economy, now as herds have dwindled and water is needed for other daily tasks allowing the nodes for rancherias to become architectural and infrastructural at the same time becomes crucial.
Above: An explanation about how a water collection center gets created. Woven walls stand in a communal garden, capturing water and moving into storage, to be pumped out by windmill and made available for everyday life.
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