About Juan José Pujana Mena

Juan José Pujana Mena is a Spanish-born entrepreneur based in Bogotá, Colombia, who develops urban housing projects. His work rests on a simple idea: a construction project should give something back to the city from its very first day, not only when it is finished.

Construction hoardings as open-air galleries

What sets Juan José Pujana Mena apart is the way he treats the hoardings that surround his building sites. A construction fence usually stays in a neighbourhood for months or even years as a blank, grey wall. He uses it instead as a canvas for art, so that the hoarding keeps its safety function while becoming an open-air gallery for neighbours and passers-by. You can see some of these interventions in the Art section (in Spanish).

Housing designed for today’s city

Bogotá, like many Latin American cities, is changing fast: smaller households, scarce well-located land and a new metro line under construction. His projects respond to that reality with compact, well-designed homes, shared spaces such as coworking areas, terraces and gyms, and locations close to jobs and public transport.

Principles

• Add aesthetic value to the street throughout the construction process.
• Design efficient homes with high-quality shared spaces.
• Incorporate sustainability, biophilic design and technology into buildings.

Writing on cities and housing

Juan José Pujana Mena publishes opinion columns and articles about housing, urbanism, architecture and street art in Colombia and around the world. Read the articles in English or the columns in Spanish.