COLTEJER

Credits: Research and documentation project carried out with the support of the Medellín Secretariat of Culture, in collaboration with the Coltejer building administration, the UPB library, and the Medellín Visual Memory group. With the advice of David Vélez Santamaría and the participation of Santiago Rodas.

This research project highlights the architectural and urban heritage associated with the Coltejer company, from its first factories in the La Toma sector to the iconic tower in downtown Medellín, which was the tallest skyscraper in the country in the 1970s. The research also documents the development of working-class neighborhoods in Envigado and Itagüí, linked to the company's industrial and social expansion, and emphasizes technical innovations such as the curtain wall facade of its 1950s administrative headquarters. Furthermore, it explores Coltejer's cultural legacy through the promotion of art exhibitions between 1968 and 1972, which marked the transition to new stages of modernization and globalization.

Based on this documentation, a digital booklet and two traveling exhibitions were created , which strengthened collective memory and the recognition of the historical, social, and cultural value of this industrial heritage for Medellín and its inhabitants.