This is how the $86 billion mega-complex housing Medellín's film library will be

A large cultural complex to be located in the Ciudad del Río sector, costing over $86 billion, will be the headquarters of Medellín's film library. The Mayor's Office presented details of the mega-project on Monday, which will consist of eleven levels and is already in the contracting phase. The building, situated near the Medellín Museum of Modern Art, is part of a group of 12 Cultural Recreation centers being built in Medellín. These spaces are buildings where the city's public cultural offerings are concentrated, similar to a cultural center. While the Mayor's Office has recently presented cultural recreation centers in other neighborhoods such as Guayabal, Robledo, Castilla, and Santa Cruz, the one to be built in the Ciudad del Río sector is by far the largest. Of the $162 billion allocated for these establishments, the Ciudad del Río project will cost $86 billion. The main component of the venue will be a film library, featuring two cinema halls with a total capacity of 279 spectators (one for 200 and another for 79), plus a film archive laboratory to promote the preservation of audiovisual memory in the city. The venue will also house other spaces, such as a sound master, an instrument storage, a gallery, and several vaults. In addition to the film library, the recreation center will also include a space for the Medellín Music Lab program, consisting of a studio for musical and audiovisual recordings, as well as a venue for artistic presentations. Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez stated that a music school will also operate on-site and it will be an open space for all citizens, including coworking and commercial spaces. "Music Lab will have the best public recording spaces and studios, free not only in Colombia but in Latin America. We will also have something called the Black Box, which will house the best audiovisual recording spaces," expressed Gutiérrez. Regarding open public space, the designs include an area of approximately 8,000 square meters on the first level, with 4,000 square meters dedicated to green areas where 100 new trees will be planted. Outdoor film screenings are also planned for this first floor. As part of its environmental design, this recreation center will also feature a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (Suds), part of a strategy being implemented in various parks and public spaces in the city to reduce flood risk and absorb rainwater. In large numbers, the recreation center is expected to impact around 440,000 people and generate approximately 300 jobs. Specifically concerning economic impact, Gutiérrez noted that, in the long term, the space's goal is to boost creative industries in the Antioquia capital, which currently represent 4% of the local Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "These lands and this lot where we are going to build this are where Simesa and Argos traditionally were, all that drove industry and employment in Medellín for so many years. Today it transforms into another industry, the creative industry, which also generates jobs," he pointed out. In recent months, the District has already announced the construction of other large-scale cultural recreation centers in various parts of the city. Among the most important is one to be located in Parques del Río Norte (or Primavera Norte), which will have an area of 2,313 square meters and will also feature an audiovisual recording studio, terraces, and an administrative office. In the Guayabal commune, another of these spaces has been announced, costing $22.9 billion and including sound production laboratories, a dance house, a theater, and multipurpose workshops, among other facilities. Work on the latter is expected to begin this May, with delivery in the first half of 2027. Another attractive recreation center will be built around El Jordán, one of Medellín's most important heritage mansions, which for decades housed a restaurant with swimming pools. This recreation center, located in the Robledo commune, will involve an investment of $13.9 billion. Regarding the Ciudad del Río recreation center, the Mayor's Office stated that the bidding process will close this Friday, May 15, and work is expected to begin by the first week of July at the latest. The District's projections are that the venue will be fully completed, equipped, and operational by November 2027.