Designing with water in three periods of transformation in Medellín’s infrastructure and public space

This article reviews the use of water within infrastructure and public space in Medellín (Colombia). It presents projects grouped into three periods in the city’s history: 1) between the 1960s and 1970s, when water was used in ornamental fountains as a complement to road infrastructure; 2) between the 1980s and 1990s, within the construction of the Metro system; and 3) between 2012 and 2015, when Articulated Life Unit projects offered direct interaction with water. It identifies the changes in terms of how water is used that have permeated Medellín’s architecture and urbanism.