When Venezuelan architects Rodrigo Armas and Julio Kowalenko of Atelier Caracas were commissioned to transform the canteen of a local school into a flexible dining area that could also host small theatrical productions and art shows, they viewed it as an opportunity to revamp the entire building which was in a dire condition—not least because of the socioeconomic crisis that is currently ravaging the country. Faced with budget constraints, the team came up with a simple yet demanding solution inspired by the physiology of parasites. Yes, you read that correctly: just like a parasite living off its host alters its environment without changing the host’s DNA, the architects re-used the building’s existing materials in new and innovative ways in order to alter the school’s spatial configuration and overall ambience.
