Sion - City Of God

This project was born with the idea of looking beyond the known and seeing urbanism and architecture in a different way, through changes, using creativity and imagination as a driving force to bring forth a different proposal that offers future solutions to how humans could live. That perspective has its origin in its name, Sion, which means "City of God." In a dialogue at the South American Congress, architect Aravena mentioned that we were purely dependent on gravity, bound by it, and that made us terrestrial beings. It was then that a dormant dream awakened.

Creating foundations for the city of Sion and reimagining urbanism from a concept as simple as flight allows us to question everything known and change the way we view the city. Cities that were conceived in two-dimensional plans would have to be rethought. Through thorough research, I discovered that there is no city with deconstructivist foundations. It was based on these principles and the understanding of designing beyond what is known that this proposal was born.

Perhaps you wonder why it had to be so different. The answer is simple: if it resembled what was already known, it would be terrestrial. Therefore, in a challenging exercise, I ventured to explore the realm where the unknown began to take shape and, above all, the foundational concepts of future urbanism. Through a deep and complex study, questioning and drawing from the known, I gave birth to the initial sketches of a city with deconstructivist principles that should not be designed in two dimensions but in three dimensions. This questioned everything known, such as privacy, the way we communicate, our connections, and the speed of this city.

It was a beautiful experience of thought and understanding, encompassing many parameters of architecture, which gave rise to the work I present to you now and will continue to advance in the future. It has taught me so much about what I already knew and even about things I was unaware of. I believe it was one of the best ways to look at architecture, to envision the future, and try to provide an answer. I don't know if this is the path, and I am far from knowing if this will be the future, but what I have learned within this study has enriched my experience in architecture and design. It has shown me that every lesson learned and every stroke made throughout my career was worth it. I present to you Sion, the City of God

City in the Sky
Location: Dubai
Surface: p/ 31,400 inhab.
Mechanics and technology: Metamaterial, Alternative Energy, Alternating Current
Height: 2.3 km from sea level
City: Satellite, under Dubai government, free to roam, dynamic status
State: United Arab Emirates
Name: Sion
Characteristics: Polycentric city, cradle of the contemporary world, business, residential, religious and commercial center
Resources: Alternative Energy
Climate: tropical desert

Architect: Victor Alfonso Montañez
Teacher: Architect, Patricia Rodrigues Anido