PORTAFOLIO ALVARO MENDEZ 2024

ÁLVARO MÉNDEZ PORTFOLIO

Bachelor's in Architecture

2024

A M

HOLA! ,Soy Álvaro Méndez This is my portfolio Este es mi portafolio

Bachelor's Degree in Architecture

Graduate of the University of Lima Bachiller en arquitectura - Graduado de la Universidad de Lima

Lima, Perú PE

2024

About me! Who am I? Sobre mi, ¿Quien soy yo?

I am a young Peruvian architect with a strong interest in developing innovative proposals for architectural projects that consider urban, functional, and conceptual aspects. I am passionate about translating ideas into architectural concepts and working on projects of various scales, contexts, concepts, and functions. I value teamwork, believing it to be essential for any project and organization. I enjoy listening to people, understanding their thought processes, and projecting ideas. Similarly, I find joy in intertwining ideas to create something new. I consider myself a responsible, empathetic, and passionate individual who enjoys the entire process of architectural creation.

I have experience participating in projects using the BIM methodology, design criteria, and am a proactive individual always seeking ways to improve projects.

I am actively seeking employment opportunities in the planning and development of architectural projects, aiming to gain more experience in design, coordination, project management, and leadership.

Soy un joven arquitecto peruano con un fuerte interés en desarrollar propuestas innovadoras para proyectos arquitectónicos que consideren aspectos urbanos, funcionales y conceptuales. Me apasiona plasmar ideas para la concepción arquitectónica y trabajar en proyectos de gran variedad de escalas, contextos, conceptos y funciones. Valoro el trabajo en equipo, siento que es fundamental para cualquier proyecto y organización, me encanta escuchar a las personas, entender su forma de pensar y proyectar ideas, de igual forma entrelazar ideas para crear una nueva. Me considero una persona responsable, líder, empática y apasionada que disfruta el proceso completo de la creación en arquitectura.

Cuento con experiencia participando en proyectos utilizando la metodología BIM, criterio de diseño y una persona proactiva, siempre en busqueda de como mejorar los proyectos.

Estoy buscando activamente una oportunidad laboral en planificación y desarrollo de proyectos arquitectónicos, con el objetivo de adquirir más experiencia en diseño, coordinación, dirección y liderazgo de proyectos.

My information Mi información Fullname

Nombre completo

Álvaro Rodrigo, Méndez Zavaleta

Profession Árquitecto + Diseñador Gráfico + Modelos 3D Profesión

Árchitect + Graphic Designer + Models 3D

Phone

+51 997067655

E-mail

alva.mz97@gmail.com

Teléfono

Address

Dirección

Magdalena del Mar, Lima, Perú

Education Educación

08 / 2014 - 06 / 2021

Bachelor in Architecture

03 / 2010 - 12 / 2013

High School

University of Lima, Lima, Peru

Santa Ana School, Lima, Peru

Work experence

Experiencia laboral 11/2022 - 02/2023

Junior BIM Modeler Grupo A&E, Lima, Perú - Architecture Studio

-BIM MEP modeling of electrical installations.

-Review of interferences with other disciplines.

04/2022 - 08/2022

Independent Consultant Private Projects, Lima, Peru

11/2021 - 02/2022

Project design at the Preliminary and Conceptual levels.

Design and preparation of presentations. Interior design.

Project Assistant CIBA Contratistas generales, Lima Perú - Architecture Studio

-Preparation of detailed plans for healthcare projects.

-3D modeling, renders, and virtual tours (SketchUp+Enscape).

-Review of plans and document preparation.

04/2021 - 07/2021

Pre-professional Internship MOS Arquitectónica, Andahuaylas, Perú - Architecture Studio

-Residential design at the preliminary project level.

-Presentations and proposals for new projects (Illustrator + Photoshop).

-Projects for private and public entities.

-3D models and renders (Autocad, Sketchup, Revit, and Enscape).

12/2020 - 03/2021

Graphic Designer AMV Ingeniería & servicios, Lima Perú - Engineering Office

-Development of graphic materials (Project presentations, brochures, web design, and book designs).

QR LinkedIn

2024

Languages

Idiomas

Spanish - Native English - Intermediate Español - Nativo Ingles - Intermedio

Extracurricular Courses Cursos extracurriculares

Scrum: Agile Project Development

06 - 2023 08 - 2023

Universidad de Lima

Final Degree Project 2020-2 (P.F.C.)

Proyecto de fin de carrera- 2020-2

I developed an architectural project in Magdalena del Mar, the district where I live, aiming to find a balance between urban growth and economic development in the commercial area.

The project, titled "Mixed-Use Neighborhood in Magdalena," was recognized by the professors as an outstanding project for its proper use of historical, contextual, and conceptual analysis in its projection and architectural design strategies.

P.E.C. Finance for Non-Financials Universidad de Lima

06 - 2022 01 - 2023

BIM Specialist in Buildings

06 - 2022 01 - 2023

Macrotect Training Center Ms Project professional 2016 Cibertec

#REVIT #AUTOCAD #SKETCHUP #ENSCAPE #ILLUSTRATOR

Link for virtual tour: https://youtu.be/kr-UPFmrKTI

10-2019 01-2020

Pasatiempos

Skills

Hobbies

Habilidades Architectural Design

Models 3D

Renders

Graphic Design

Teamwork

Curious

Guitara - Conservatoria Nacional de Música

Gym - Culturismo y entrenador personal Entrenamiento canino

Software skills

Programas

Adobe Illustrator - Intermediate

AutoCAD - Intermediate

Adobe Photoshop - Basic

Revit - Intermediate

Adobe Premier - Basic

SketchUp - Intermediate

Ms Ofice Basic - Intermediate Ms Project - Intermediate

Enscape - Intermediate

Greetings!

I present to you my projects.

Bienvenidos, les presento mis proyectos

Academic projects Proyectos académicos

Mixed-Use Neighborhood Magdalena del Mar - Architecture Project X 08/2020 - 12/2020

Urban Forest in Villa el Salvador - Architecture Project IX 05/2020 - 06/2020

Utopian Block in Villa el Salvador - Architecture Project IX 04/2020

Multifamily MAES - Sargos - Seminar Project in Management 08/2020 - 10/2020

Nike Offices - Interior Design 05/2020 - 06/2020

Independent Projects - Freelancer Proyectos Independientes

Asper Booth 05/2022 - 06/2022

Housing Lance-Urabain 05/2021 - 06/2021

Escalonada la molina

02/2022 - 03/2022

Models 3D Modelos 3D

Health Centers 01/2021 - 04/2022

Schools

04/2021 - 05/2021

Extras Extras

Dystopian Vision - Story created for the FairyTales competition 04/2020 - 07/2020

Mixed-Use Neighborhood Magdalena del Mar

Academic Project

The project originated from my personal concern about the urban future of the Magdalena del Mar district, located in Lima, Peru, where I currently reside.

This district has a large commercial sector where a large number of people are supplied. However, this was formed in an improvised and unplanned way due to the potential demand as a commercial sector.

In recent years, it has had a very accelerated, improvised, and uncontrolled urban growth, wasting the potential of this as a commercial neighborhood. Analyzing the context, we will see phenomena that occur in the area and how these will be used for architectural conception.

The goal of this project will focus on proposing an architectural solution that allows for balancing urban growth and economic development of the sector.

LINK RECORRIDO VIRTUAL

Photographic record 1

Current Situation

2

New Buildings

Area to be intervened

Tupac Amaru Square Boulevard

2

Project Context 4

Key points to understand the project is to understand its contextual area.

Through photographic documentation, we observe the current situation of the area to be intervened.

Internal Plaza

1

Boulevard

3

Improvised convergence of housing and commerce.

Improvised commercial area

View of the Boulevard.

Uncontrolled urban growth, with houses and/or businesses of 4 meters in length in their front part, around the property.

There is a hidden inner square within the block.

View of the Boulevard.

Residential neighborhood Comercial neighborhood

3

4

Internal Plaza

There are linear commercial routes, and a boulevard that connects the entire commercial area.

Boulevard

We can speak of a neighborhood, as the commerce is both neighborhood and metropolitan.

Commercial axis

3

4 2

1

Tupac Amaru Square

LINK PORTAFOLIO ANALISIS DE LA ZONA

Urban Growth

Houses converted into a commercial area

INTERVENTION 18 m.

9 m.

Buildings constructed in the last 5 years.

Disciplinary Interest - Conceptual In the Lima context, the city lacks public spaces, which is why commercial areas play a very important role in Peruvian social life, acting as public spaces and recreational areas, transforming the space into what we will call a "commercial neighborhood".

LINK PORTFOLIO

The virtual space where the commercial neighborhood is contained is always linked to the route, to the situations and events that occur in it, these spaces being very dynamic. When buying groceries, eating or walking, it generates an individual memory in each person and, in turn, a mental map of routes that, over time, become part of the identity of both individuals and the people with the place. Therefore, it can be concluded that the identity of this commercial area is formed as a result of the situations and events that occur in it.

The project must take into account concepts such as the route, continuity, event, identity to create design strategies.

The project should function as a container of dynamics, events and situations, linked and provoked by its route and the spaces it forms, maintaining the identity of the place, so that users can form their own mental map of routes based on the dynamism of architecture.

Architecture focused on architectural event.

ARCHITECTURE OF EVENTS + PLACES WITHIN PLACES

Generating spatial continuity linked to experiences.

Creating a variety of spaces

Events Cultural Diversity + Within the same space

This matrix shows the process of analysis to arrive at the architectural conception, in the historical part of how the district goes from being a private residential area over time to a commercial area, the contextual analysis that denotes that we are in a neighborhood that is both commercial and residential due to the dynamics of the place, and the theoretical analysis and the importance of taking the concept of route and event as the guiding thread for architectural composition. Tools that will be taken into account for the formulation of design strategies.

Consistency matrix

LINK PORTFOLIO

Induction spaces Parks and gardens Housing 1 and 2 levels

Expansión 1943

Internal courtyards

Freedom of travel

Expansion and growth of trade around the market, creating a new morphology.

Identity

Market beginnings

Morphology

Architecture is no longer admired

Neighborhood feeling

Spatial continuity

It is consistent Walk Means Home

Architecture Facing the event

Meeting place Merchants

Visitors of

Visuals

Commercial

1936

District

Residential

2023

District 1936 Commercial area

Discovering places

Flow Existence

Tours

Events

View of the square

Pedestrian

Site experiences

Atmospheres

Trails

Actuality Outdoor

Mental map of routes Individual - Collective

Means

of

Square

To the environment

Transmitting emotions

Local events

Architectural (Einsenman - AlexanderSituationists)

View of the boulevard

Dynamics Create memory of the place

Malecon view As a container

Historical Framework

Touring and discovering

Commercial area

Contextual framework

Intensions

Conceptual Framework

Space container

Pre-figure

Neighborhood

Commercial axis

Places within places

Current

(Rogelio Salmona)

Commercial type Residential + Commerce

Commerce First level

Remembering and Experimenting

Chain of events

Morphology

characterization

Forms a

Trading in the internal square

Living system Creates

Variety of Spaces

Unity Positive Fragments Volumes delimiting squares

Irregular pattern in the existing market

Cultural exchange

Mimetized Housing Commerce First level Residential Second level

Neighborhood within neighborhoods Volumes obtained from contextual analysis

Conductive thread

Different qualities

For

Architectural composition

LINK PORTFOLIO

Emplazamiento y estrategias proyectuales

1

4

The memory of the place prevails through the commercial axes that are part of the architectural proposal. These axes and the boulevard are maintained.

4

4

2

1

Reconstructing the memory

Connect Fomentar el descubrimiento de espacios por medio del recorrido, mediante plazas internas articuladoras. Del mismo modo el proyecto esta integrado a la trama urbana del distrito. Eliminando muros ciegos.

3

Induction By means of arches the petaón is induced to go through the space. Part as a 5 memory of the pre-existence of the place.

Profile of Arquedas en Quintas entries

1 4

Profile of Arquedas en Quintas entries

Profile of Arquedas en Quintas entries

Densify Densify in dwellings according to the neighborhood scale and what is allowed by urban parameters.

2

2

5

Create Neighborhood Connecting the program to generate neighborhoods, both commercial and residential.

Merchants' neighborhood LINK PORTFOLIO

Student neighborhood

Residential neighborhood Office district

There are 3 levels of recreational spaces. Second floor, the commercial area being a totally public space with internal squares.

Intermediate zone, semi-public terraced spaces. Upper zone, by means of bridges that connect the housing towers, private public spaces, only for the residents of the zone.

Merchants' neighborhood

80m2 - 150 m2

3-bedroom apartments 125 m2 - 150 m2

The proposal aims to be part of a new typology of mixed building in markets, from the function, which responds to the value of a traditional Peruvian market, considering it as a space where social relations between traders and consumers abound when carrying out daily commercial activities. From its conception as a container of experiences, social relations and interactions. In the same way, to recognize the market as a public space, to increase the commercial offer, to create a tourist attraction and to become a reference of mixed building in markets.

Vertical circulation Horizontal circulation

1

5

Graphic scale.

10

15

20

Urban Forest in Villa el Salvador

Academic Project

This project is located in the district of Villa El Salvador, Lima, Peru. This district was conceived as a utopian model to curb the influx of people in that area. As most of these individuals are from provinces, they are accustomed to community life and living in spacious settings with a rural lifestyle and direct contact with nature. According to the book "Hidden Dimension," people have different dimensions and perceptions depending on the environments in which they were raised and/or developed. In this case, the territory is arid and desert-like, creating a complete disconnection of identity with the current inhabitants.

A hybrid architecture is proposed that combines the natural with the artificial; where the natural elements function as areas for recreation and leisure, physically and socially articulating the space. The proposal is to design flexible architecture that does not create boundaries and successfully connects and relates to the identity of its population, recreating the nature in which they lived.

The project will be an oasis within this desert. A large urban forest is proposed, extended and connected through different underground levels via ramps, forming part of the journey towards a commercial area and the residential zone.

FORMA Y LENGUAJE

LA FORMA DE LOS BOSQUES SE CREO A PARTIR DE LOS ESPACIOS QUE GENERA LA VO

BOSQUE URBANO EL SALVADOR

CIOS CONTENIDOS DENTRO DE OTROS Y DAR ASI SUCESOS DESPLEGABLES ENTRE LA

BOSQUES SIGUEN UNA LÓGICA DE RECORRIDO Y CONEXION HACIA EL EXTERIOR, EL M

POSEE.

Concrete House Facade + Climbing Vines and Shrubs FACHADA DE VIVIENDA DE CONCRETO + ENREDADERA Y ARBUSTOS

BOSQUE ALIGUSTE NIVEL -0.05

ONCRETO CExposed EConcrete XPUESTO

BO F

BOSQUE HUARANHUAY NIVEL -4.50

NIVE

Estructura subterranea abovedada GENERAR UN OASIS EN MEDIO DEL DESIERTO ENREDADERAS + ARBUSTOS CONCRETO EXPUESTO

SIN CERRAMIENTO. VISUAL

SUCESOS

Urban Forest

ARBOLES Y COLUMNAS

Urban Forest

ALIGUSTE ALTURA: 4 M ARBOL PEQUEÑO/COPA DENSA

Urban FÁCIL DE TRANSPLANTAR Forest NO ES EXIGENTE DE SUELO NI DE LUZ ESCALONAMIENTO PARA GENERAR TENSIÓN ENTRE LAS TORRES DE VIVIENDAS

Entrance View to the Urban Forest

REQUIER RIEGO MODERADO

HUARANHUAY ALTURA: 4 M CORTA VIDA CRECIMIENTO RÁPIDO RAICES PEQUEÑAS REQUIER LUGAR SIN VIENTO

CATALOGO DE ARBOLES DE LIMA

Structural Scheme

ELLA GENERAR ESTOS ESPA-

ES DE LOS BOSQUES. ESTOS

O Y EL PROGRAMA QUE ESTE

Utopian Block

Academic Project

This project was conceived around a developing apple, in which the most dysABLES DE LOS BOSQUES topian version it could reach was analyzed, considering real-established parameters and taken to an exaggeration. This projection envisions an apple built to its limits, with no open spaces, public areas, and constructed informally and precariously. Taking inspiration from the city of Kowloon, China, as a clear example of extreme urban development without planning, improvised and lacking a future.

FICUS ELÁSTICA ALTURA: 8 M

On the other hand, a project with a utopian vision was proposed, free from structural or planning limitations, as a tribute to the imagination of what this plot of land, consisting of 9 blocks located in Villa el Salvador, Lima, Peru, could become.

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OFINA. NECESITA AGUA

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Current Block

Dystopian Block

City of Kowloon

Terraces

Green Terraces and Small Forests

Utopian Vision

Intermediate Private Public Space for the Tower Community

Central Tower Structural Support for Elevated Streets and a Cable Car System Connecting a Future Replica of These Blocks

Base

Commercial Pedestal and Social Hub, Serving as the Foundation and Buttress for the Residential Tower

Aerial Street Connection Between Residential and Circulation Towers

Braces

Metal Structure of Columns, Beams, and Trusses.

The proposal aims to unify the 9 blocks while preserving the traditional character of the area, maintaining its historic language and some of its heritage on the side corners. On the other corners, two large interconnected towers are proposed for mixed-use – commercial, professional, and residential purposes. The entire ground floor is intended to remain open and flexible. Looking ahead, the plan envisions replicating these blocks and connecting them with cable cars in the future.

Multifamily Residential Project - MAES Sargos

Academic Project

An initial project for a multifamily dwelling, developed during the "Architectural Design" course, was chosen as the foundation for the project execution. Subsequently, Value Engineering was applied, taking into account contextual factors such as regulations, market supply and demand, immediate competition, and design. The goal was to transform it into an executable and profitable project.

Significant changes were made to the facade, housing typology, and their distribution based on a market study conducted for this specific area and context. It was adapted to the standards derived from the contextual, demand-driven, supply-driven, regulatory, and economic (profitability as a project) analyses. Functional and design aspects were prioritized in this case, considering the concept of dignified housing distribution. Spatial efficiency for the client was a focal point, minimizing circulation areas in the offered residences to maximize space for other areas. Simultaneously, minimal accessibility was considered to gain the most space possible.

Project Information District.

Project Description.

San Isidro 12 Floors 45 Residences 120m2 to 170m2 Land Area Optimal Distribution 950 m2 Multipurpose Room Terrace Investment Amount Gym $16 999 974.66 Game Room Typology 3. 150m2

Typology 1. 120m2

Typology 2. 130m2 Multipurpose Room

Kitchen - Living Room

Bedrooms

NIKE Offices

Academic Project The design for Nike's offices was developed specifically for their marketing department.

The design approach began with an analysis of the brand, clients, concepts, business philosophy, color palette, types of furniture used in their other offices, and space distribution to align with their needs. The proposal includes a reception area, a dining space, a meeting area, and a Brainstorming space for creative work, along with 2 offices and a traditional meeting area at the end of the project.

In the workspace, flexible and movable furniture was implemented to break away from traditional setups and add an element of fun to the layout. Each workspace was carefully equipped with the essentials. Minimalistic walls with vinyl decals featuring iconic phrases, logos, and infographics were chosen to inspire the staff at work. The Brainstorming area features movable furniture and a large wall functioning as a whiteboard, providing freedom and inspiration during the company's creative moments. The dining area was designed linearly, culminating in a view of the city.

Work Area

Dining Area

Reception

Brainstorming Lorem ipsum

Casa Lance-Urabain

Freelancer

The client came with a housing project on the third floor in the district of San Miguel and expressed the desire to reconsider the original design, which consisted of two minimal residences, in favor of a spacious duplex apartment with larger dimensions.

The use of metal structures and drywall for enclosures was proposed. The central concept of the project was to create the feeling of "living in the sky." The goal was to fully exploit the views offered by the park in front, incorporating a double-height space to increase natural light and visually enhance the top of the building, being the last floor.

Similarly, improvements were made to the original project's layout.

Challenge: We were presented with an existing structure to work with. The intention was to design a space that conveyed the sensation of living in the sky. It was presented as a preliminary exploration of the potential the location offered to create more spacious, dignified, and illuminated environments.

Current Status of the Preliminary Project Cocina

Núcleo de Escaleras

Proposal for the New Preliminary Project

Views

Escalonada La Molina

Freelancer

A preliminary design was proposed for a residence located in La Molina, where the terrain has two fronts at significantly different levels, with a 7-meter height difference due to its location on a hill. The intended dwelling aims to establish a connection with both fronts, with future plans to acquire the neighboring plot. The existing infrastructure consists of 2 floors plus a terrace, currently only linked to the lower side of the terrain, featuring a prominent wall in the front part of its patio.

The concept suggests designing a staggered residence to emphasize panoramic views of the entire city of Lima from all sides. In terms of materials, the proposal aims to establish a balance between the substantial and the lightweight elements. The solid concrete base, featuring vaulted slabs, represents the weighty component, while the upper floors utilize a metal structure to lighten the load on the lower part. This approach also seeks a fusion of classical and modern elements, with the metallic structure acting as an envelope for the traditional. Additionally, different terrace levels are proposed to facilitate visual connections.

Fase 1 del proyecto

Fase 2 del proyecto

Asper Booth

Freelancer

A booth design was created for the company Asper, specifically for the Food Fair Expo 2022. The project, named "High-tech BOX," is conceived to evoke the atmosphere of a high-end and technologically advanced laboratory. The form and folds of the booth are derived from preliminary strategies based on the analysis of the immediate context, in this case, a trade fair. The design aims to attract the maximum number of clients, utilizing the concept of inclined walls to draw the attention of potential customers towards the stand. These inclined walls serve as a visual highlight, inviting the spectator to explore the booth.

On the other hand, these angular breaks in the design were strategically used to exhibit and showcase the brand's machines, which are a crucial element of the Asper brand. The intention is to create an engaging and visually striking experience, emphasizing both the cutting-edge technology and the core products of the company.

Health Centers - Client: CIBA Contractors

Models 3D

Health Centers I-2 Conopa

Health Centers Illimo

Health Centers Llamellin

Health Centers Cisea

Health Centers Mancos

Health Centers Salud Anta

Health Centers Musga

LINK RECORRIDIO VIRTUAL

School - Client. MOS Arquitectónica SAC

Models 3D

School in Andahuaylas

Sports Court with Solar Panels - Client. AMV ingenieria y servicios SAC

Model 3D

Dystopian Vision

EXTRA - Story Created for the FairyTales Contest This story is inspired by a dystopian future in the city where I live, where informality and uncontrolled urban growth have become the norm. It is an exaggerated vision of what a city can become when it grows disproportionately, without planning or control.

HISTORIAN'S LOG It is the year 2150, and I was born into a world in decay.

Growing up, I heard my grandfather recount the change the world underwent. He shared with me how things evolved and passed down a small, worn logbook from his father, where he documented events that defined his generation: Year 2020: The city was chosen for the Olympic Games. A promising future seemed to be on the horizon! The population was committed to being great hosts. An artificial island was constructed near the city for some disciplines.

Year 2025: The population increased dramatically. The city's success led to numerous migrations. More structures were built, including residences, schools, social centers, town halls, hospitals, and more.

Year 2035: Ten years have passed, and I see the city lacking space. The greed of major corporations sought unprotected areas under heritage laws and began seizing public spaces. A portion of the population opposed this and started trembling at the potential consequences.

Year 2040: The venues built during the glorious days of 2020 were neglected. As a result, the artificial island has been invaded by immigrants, the homeless, and addicts. Because a community formed, supported by the workers' union, the government had no choice but to declare it a district. i

Imagen = Year 2060

Year 2045: Pollution increased due to industrial activities. Waste accumulated in the sea, creating a reef of debris that began attaching to the island. Simultaneously, the gases emitted by these industries caused diseases among the population. Treatments were expensive for low-income families; hence, they were abandoned on this corrupted island. This marked the beginning of a marginalized zone.

Year 2050: The city became completely congested with uneven urban profiles, lacking public spaces, and facing massive overpopulation. However, thanks to technological advancements, immediate plans were made to design and construct atmosphere-level skyscrapers, serving as the foundation for a future city in the sky that would accommodate a certain sector of the population. I am part of this project and have a secured place in what we call the future "City of the Elysians."

Year 2060: Humanity struggles to persist. As for me, I no longer have the strength to continue jotting down memories. In the skies, in the "City of the Elysians," the affluent people live comfortably, constituting 10% of the population. On the ground, known as the "Tartarus Dream," resides 70% of the population—lower-middle class—lacking most basic services. Finally, the remaining 20% lives in the Sea, on the waste peninsula, or as many call it, "Hades' Styx." This population barely survives. I feel lost in this constructed labyrinth. My eyes are consumed by the abyss, and I won't be able to navigate it any longer.

Dystopic vision

EXTRA - Story prepared for the fairy tales contest

City of Elysium

Thanks to my grandfather, I live in the "City of Elysium," by far the most acceptable area to live.

We reside in compact spaces, but being only a few hundred settlers, we can live relatively comfortably. The air is humid, and you catch a cold when you inhale it. Only people with strong lungs can lead an active life. Organic food is scarce, produced only in hanging gardens. Energy is obtained from solar panels, enough to power essential appliances. Apart from this, we live by strict rules to maintain balance, all managed by ministers of food, production, labor, and reproduction.

Since acquiring that logbook, I haven't stopped thinking about the form that the lower area, dubbed "Tartarus," could have taken. Every time I mentioned that place, everyone warned me to forget it. They're just fictional stories about humanoid creatures devouring each other, akin to dragon and kraken tales in medieval times, they add. All of them ignore the hidden chaos. I wanted to explore it and uncover the truth. Every day I wondered, are we part of the allegory of the cave by accepting our reality as absolute? I decided to escape, even if it meant I could never return.

Day 1. Descending into "Tartarus" As I descended, everything darkened. Despite it being daytime, sunlight barely reached. There was a permanent twilight. A mass of people swirled around me, generating a feeling of claustrophobia; I had never experienced such a sensation.

Venturing into the megalopolis, the first things I saw were narrow pedestrian passages and towering prefabricated buildings closely packed together. This caused the scant illumination to filter through, leaving a gray panorama. After a while of walking, I realized the concrete chaos had disoriented me, I was lost. Desperate, I traversed paths strewn with waste that led to dead-end alleys. My journey unfolded with shocking scenes: people fighting for garbage containers, markets selling rat and dog meat, looting synthetic food trucks—all accompanied by screams and lamentations. Luckily, I reached a hostel. I stayed but did not sleep that night. I was already living a nightmare.

Day 10. "The Styx of Hades" The longer I lived in the "Dream of Tartarus," the sicker I felt. There was no way to maintain optimal hygiene. The air was the opposite of my home; it

blew only dry smog that burned respiratory openings. One day, I observed a line of corpses extending into unused alleys. I followed this putrid trail like breadcrumbs along the lost path. That's how I stumbled upon the artificial waste peninsula, or as my grandfather called it, "The Styx of Hades."

It looked more like a cemetery. There were structures of rusted scrap where corpses were piled up for incineration. Instead of seagulls, there were crows, and instead of seashells, there were skulls. Black tides only brought back bones; it was the Styx represented. I saw many hooded people hiding their genetic deformities and mummified individuals in plastic bags. In the peninsula, I observed a horizon of canvas tents. As I approached these tents, people hid; they only lived to exist. A wooden statue stood out in the entire community. It had the shape of an angel.

Day 15. Farewell I've lived for 5 days among the sick; discomfort and physical fatigue dominate my body. I undergo drastic daily fasting and explore more of the world of dreams than reality; I have become one of them. Faith is what predominates in this last rung of society. Now I understand that penance was the truth. My pilgrimage… is about to end.

Keywords: Overpopulation - Lack of Urban Planning - Incompetent Authorities

LINK PORTFOLIO

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