Antorcha – An Artificial Biosphere for Puya raimondii

Project idea

This project is not a tower designed for people. It is a habitat designed for a species that cannot survive without architecture.

The proposal responds to the challenge of designing a tower with a maximum internal perimeter of 21 metres. Rather than treating this limitation as a restriction, it became the project's defining principle. The compact footprint naturally encouraged a vertical form, while shifting the focus away from human occupation toward environmental performance.

Project description

Instead of maximizing usable space, the tower minimizes the area dedicated to visitors in order to prioritize another form of life. It houses an artificial biosphere for Puya raimondii—the world's largest bromeliad, native to the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia. Outside its natural alpine habitat, the species cannot survive without carefully controlled environmental conditions. The architecture therefore functions as a climatic envelope, maintaining the temperature, humidity and light required for the plant to complete its life cycle.

Natural daylight enters the biosphere through the oculus, reinforcing the connection between the plant and the sky. The primary source of illumination, however, is an artificial lighting system precisely directed toward the foliage, ensuring stable growing conditions throughout the year. After sunset, this same system transforms the tower into a luminous landmark, with light escaping through the oculus like the flame of a torch.

The project's title, Antorcha—Spanish for torch—refers to one of the historical uses of Puya raimondii. For generations, local communities in the Andes used its dried flowering stalks as ceremonial torches. This project reinterprets that legacy through architecture. Once, the plant was consumed to produce light. Here, architecture provides light and protection so that the species may continue to live.

Technical information

The tower's primary structural element is a reinforced concrete core constructed from white architectural concrete. Its surface is finished with a layer of finely crushed volcanic tuff sourced from the region surrounding Arequipa. This light-colored facade material references the geology of the native habitat of Puya raimondii, giving the structure a mineral character and a subtle texture that responds to changing daylight conditions.

The spiral ramp and surrounding landscape elements are also cast in white architectural concrete with a slip-resistant surface finish. Their uniform color palette reinforces the monolithic character of the design while creating a clear contrast with the surrounding vegetation. The selected materials ensure durability, weather resistance, and low maintenance, while preserving the project's minimalist architectural expression.