Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 23, 2025

Parasite Balcony by PICO Colectivo

Parasite Balcony by PICO Colectivo

The steel-frame balcony, an experimental design by PICO Colectivo, is the latest addition to the expanding cultural center in Caracas.



In downtown Caracas in Venezuela, PICO Colectivo has punched through the facade of a midcentury building to turn it into the host of their latest project, Parasite Balcony. Appearing like a new growth, the aptly named intervention is part of a greater urban revitalization effort to transform its host into Casino Caracas, a new cultural center for the arts.



The ten-story cultural center is named Casino Caracas after the building’s former life as an illegal gambling den. The adaptive reuse project began in 2013 under the joint leadership of various civic and cultural groups.

"The restructured facade creates a permeable skeleton that adds a layer to the building’s exterior, yet it’s also part of the interior, blurring the barriers of the enclosed environment," says Marcos Coronel, one of PICO’s cofounders. The design is meant to disrupt the building’s curtain wall, a "real estate" aesthetic that creates "a condition of false comfort that’s not natural in the tropics," adds Coronel.

The balcony, which was completed in 2019 in just six weeks, marks the first step in the planned overhaul of the building’s exterior. PICO’s design process followed Casino Caracas’s gradual growth model that emphasizes sustainable, practical, and low-cost construction with minimal waste.



"From the outside, it is a dissident object piercing the hermetic facade," says Coronel. "And from the inside, a transparent and diffuse boundary."



Parasite Balcony is named after the term "parasitic architecture," a genre of architecture wherein a design intends to in some way alter an existing structure.



The balcony opens the hermetic building to the outdoors, and provides the interiors with daylight, fresh air, and a view.



A steel ramp and steps lead up to the multifunctional balcony.



The balcony’s simple construction system primarily comprises welded steel.

Designed to blur the boundaries between indoors and out, the asymmetrical steel structure combines inspiration from the "extravagance" of the Venezuelan tropics with the practicality of modern architecture. The body of the balcony, with its bold colors and odd geometry, make it stand out from the building to which it is fixed-"a creature of its own," says Coronel. All the while, the steel scaffolding provides ventilation to dissipate heat from the building’s interiors. The red and yellow coloring follows a scheme to match other interventions found throughout the renovated casino.



The balcony frames a view of the mountains to the east. The lower yellow steel safety railing juts outward to double as seating.



The framed view directs the eye away from the "unfriendly" building directly across the street, which is partially blocked by opaque panels.



The sawtooth shape of the galvanized steel roof allows for indirect natural light while providing protection from the rain.



Steel louvers protect the space from harsh afternoon glare on the west side.

Parasite Balcony is located within the coworking section of the building, which is also home to a graphic arts workshop, a photography studio, a music recording studio, an image laboratory, a sports area, and a manufacturing workshop. The cultural arts center, which continues to be developed, will soon add a series of new spaces that include a cooking school with an urban farm, a theater, an exhibition hall, a toy library, and a hostel.



The coworking area at Casino Caracas is also used to host events.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×