The Pulse of Water

The Pulse of Water is a project that questions how residents and tourists in Curití, Santander, engage with the Curití Stream, one of the region’s most important waterways, now facing serious challenges due to irresponsible mass tourism and inadequate water management.
The intervention spans 4.2 kilometers, from the town center to the last accessible pond of the stream. Its aim is to raise awareness about the stream’s ecological and cultural value, promote sustainable and environmentally conscious tourism, and reconnect the town center with Curití’s main tourist attraction: the natural swimming area of Pescaderito.
The project proposes a walking trail with several stations along the route. The main one is a cultural facility focused on collective memory and local craftsmanship, designed to celebrate and give visibility to the town’s traditions.
The journey begins in a thoughtfully designed public space that encourages social interaction and allows different cultural activities happening at the same time. Along the way, visitors encounter rest and contemplation stations that blend harmoniously into the landscape. The path culminates in a panoramic viewpoint at the highest point of the trail, offering sweeping views of the stream and the surrounding terrain.
On my first visit to the stream, I was deeply moved by its beauty and wrote the following poem, which served as a design compass and a reminder of the project’s purpose:
Water, fierce and cold,
washes distant memories
that flow in the turbulent stillness
of the stream’s winding course,
listening to the silence
of songs from ancient loves
traveling through the air
between acacias and guayacanes,
vibrating to the Pulse of Water.

This project was designed using local construction techniques, with the aim of allowing the community to participate in its construction and reducing the need for specialized machinery.

Most of the project is designed with rammed earth walls and adobe bricks, locally produced thanks to the high clay content in the region’s soil. The main structure is planned in wood, using identical frames that can be built on-series and on-site to facilitate construction.

The roof was conceived using prefabricated clay modules, inspired by colonial construction traditions, but leaving room for a customizable appearance through modules of different colors.

The public space was designed to serve various purposes and support the activities taking place inside, with gardens of native species, home for more than 50 local butterfly species, an open-air nursery to grow trees up to a certain age and help with the reforestation of the stream’s watershed. There are spaces for outdoor movie screenings at night, dance and music performances, craft fairs, and community events. The main goal is to provide gathering spaces for the community of Curití and to strengthen cultural connections by showcasing the town’s history and natural beauty.