Gateway Towers of the City
The name of the city is spelled with each tower
Gateway Towers of the City
Urban intervention Gateway of the City of Barquisimeto Barquisimeto Estado Lara, Barquisimeto Completed 1998
This project was undertaken by Micucci Treviño Arquitectos Asociados with the aim of improving and enhancing the metropolitan area of Barquisimeto by creating two gateways. The gateways concept is derived from the city's infrastructure such as freeways, avenues, and streets that define borders and limits for the city, and signify transitions from the country to the city. The proposed solution combines architecture, sculpture, and landscaping design based on the geographical conditions of the site.
The two gateway monuments are designed to reveal the architectural, urban, and cultural values of the city, and spell out the name "Barquisimeto" in twelve towers in the shape of letters, resembling the city skyline from a distance. The east gateway, located at the mouth of a valley, consists of twelve abstract, square-based prisms. The west gateway is situated on a small slope in a flat region and represents the region's values such as music, fauna, rivers, arts and crafts, and architecture.
Both monuments have a similar structure and formal criteria, but they differ in response to the different sites. The towers are vertical elements composed of a concrete base that levels the topography, a body that describes the letter inscribed in brick supported by a metal structure, and a final element that highlights the top of the tower. The gateways' image is perceived from a distance with contrasts and voids that allow light to manifest itself. Planning consent was sought for this project, which provides a public space, a park, a symbol, and a monument for the city of Barquisimeto.