Competition Win by STAR strategies + architecture in Spain, Europe
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World Buildings
Mirador del Palmeral, Elche, Spain
2009-
STAR strategies + architecture
29 Jul 2009
View from Altamira Palace:
The wheel stands magnificently in The palm grove. Its strong presence is complemented with its transparency.
More images online today
Two phases competition:
1st phase: open for everybody. Selection of two teams.
2nd phase: two teams selected from 1st phase + SANAA, MVRDV, MARTÍNEZ-LAPEÑA TORRES ARQUITECTOS, ÁBALOS-SENTKIEWICZ + ARQUITECTURA AGRONÓMÍA.
Results:
1st prize: STAR strategies + architecture
2nd prize: SANAA
3rd prize: MARTÍNEZ-LAPEÑA TORRES ARQUITECTOS
The most sustainable strategy.
Thousands of words have been written about the influence of the current economical crisis in the construction business. However, we think that this fact has accelerated the birth of a new architectural thinking that applied to the architecture production will generate intelligent and substantial ideas, and leave behind the sensationalistic architecture of quick consumption.
We are aware of the large influence that economy has in architecture and we believe more than ever that strategies, rather than shapes, are the only valid answers to today's demands.
In our careers as architects, the competition for the Mirador del Palmeral has been the first chance to create an emblem for the city where nature plays a crucial role and where the admiration of the landscape is the reason-to-be of this icon.
Moreover, in this period of financial collapse and extreme preoccupation for sustainability, it would be and hypocrisy to close the eyes and produce another icon like all the previous ones. Lets take this chance to rethink deeply, to focus our intelligence in a strategy rather than in the egocentric and frozen architecture (=icon) so characteristic from the last years.
Why should we put all the weight in an obsolete architectonic element with a limited "iconic" life?
Without denying the representative character of this program, we propose an a-temporal emblem, intelligent and flexible; capable of fulfilling all the requirements and able to recover its investment in less than three years.
We need an imaginative solution.
We propose a wheel for Elche. The wheel is resistant to fashion, style, and time. The wheel is an intelligent and rational structure; representative and beautiful, powerful and transparent.
The wheel of London, The London Eye, is the most visited attraction in the United Kingdom, and the first image that appears in Google when one types London..
The Wheel is a rational icon, a sustainable icon, a narrative icon, an unlimited icon, a pure icon, the Rethought icon.
Trying to explode the full potential of the intervention, we propose three scenarios with different levels of investment. From the initial mirador complex to a common building mirador-station with a connection to the train platforms and underground parking. The wheel and the Palmeral will be the welcoming image to the visitor of Elche. We have also studied the possibilities of the surrounding sites, and we propose sustainable strategies for the integration of the Palmeral into the city.
The Wheel will be an urban unifier for Elche and its Palmeral, and a personal experience for each of the visitors.
The program of the project is the typical view point tower, with a restaurant and a small visitor centre.
The city of Elche demanded an iconic intervention building that promotes the Palm grove and brings tourism in the City.
Comparision between the traditional Iconic Building and the Wheel
A longitudinal and a vertical element compose the mirador of the Palmeral. They create a façade to the Avenue of the Ferrocarril in the north, and they enclose the space to the Wheel square in the south.
The longitudinal element is a one floor volume that contains the restaurant, the shop, the hall and the exhibition area. The vertical element is a wheel of 55 m ring that is placed on top of the building reaching then a total height of 70 m. The wheel is accessible through the big stairs going to the roof terrace. It is possible to inscribe in the square a circle of the same diameter of the wheel ring.
The project allows a big flexibility because depending on the initial investment we can execute the mirador program, the double building mirador + station, or the total proposal with the underground parking. In this case an interior street will give access to the underground levels, the station, and the train platforms. These platforms are placed in the station patio. The interior street will lead the travelers arriving in Elche to the middle of the plaza where a complete view of the wheel is possible.
The most simple and efficient way of assembling the wheel is doing it in the floor of the square. As the square has the same dimensions of the wheel, we can build it completely there. This fact eliminates the need of building complicate scaffoldings and allows the process to be done precisely. Two cranes will lift up the ring to its definitive position. The 16 cabins will be put in the ring one by one once this is vertical.
Strategy
By joining in a single building the program of the mirador and the Elche Station (see option 3, panel 1) we obtain the largest potential of the intervention.
This idea is easily possible because the site of the project is located within the double platform area of the train tunnel. The creation of an underground parking will improve the functioning of this services. Due to the proximity of the exiting parking under the paseo, the possibility of joining them can be studied.
Advantages of the option 3:
-the visitor arrives in Elche and he perceives an attractive image. Rather than arriving in a dark tunnel, the visitor first meets Elche in a patio with palms where the wheel is visible.
-Double promotion of the site: mirador + station
-the current station site will be vacant. The benefit that will arise from its sale could be invested in the new project and in the improvement of the public spaces.
-optimization of the investment: 10 M € (mirador and promenade) + 6M € (renovation of the station) + money from the sales of the station site
-logic and suitable position for Elche station, at the end of the promenade.
-creation of a more representative station for the city. The current building doesn't have any spatial quality and we think it is not efficient to invest 6 M € on it.
-possibility of sharing facilities; restaurant, parking, ..etc
View of the Plaza and the wheel
The Wheel Square together with the mirador building make a public space of an enormous potential.
Elche´s Wheel can become in the background image of many events such us concerts, open-air movies, theater plays, markets and fairs.
The rings of the wheel can be the frame of vertical garden and many other possible temporary configurations.
Plan for the Promenade area
Strategy in the close surroundings: Virtual re plantation of Elche´s Palmeral
After the total pedestrianization of the promenade, we propose to keep it as a "hard" surface, due to the large amount of events that take place on it, and would be impossible in a green area.
Therefore, the strategy for the treatment of this space will be the "virtual" plantation of the palms and cultivations that were there years ago. We propose a catalogue of eight elements that are inspired on the fundaments of the palm grove. In this way, we bring in a didactic way the essence of the history of the Palmeral back to the city.
A longitudinal and a vertical element compose the mirador of the Palmeral. They create a façade to the Avenue of the Ferrocarril in the north, and they enclose the space to the Wheel square in the south.
The longitudinal element is a one floor volume that contains the restaurant, the shop, the hall and the exhibition area. The vertical element is a wheel of 55 m ring that is placed on top of the building reaching then a total height of 70 m. The wheel is accessible through the big stairs going to the roof terrace. It is possible to inscribe in the square a circle of the same diameter of the wheel ring.
The project allows a big flexibility because depending on the initial investment we can execute the mirador program, the double building mirador + station, or the total proposal with the underground parking. In this case an interior street will give access to the underground levels, the station, and the train platforms. These platforms are placed in the station patio. The interior street will lead the travelers arriving in Elche to the middle of the plaza where a complete view of the wheel is possible.
The Paseo de la Estación is one of the most important connections in Elche. It directs to the centre of the city all the flux of people that arriving in Elche and it connects the city centre with the Mirador.
After studying the vehicle traffic of the area, we propose the complete pedestrianization of the paseo. This operation will bring the promenade an enormous potential as public space right in the centre of the city.
The most simple and efficient way of assembling the wheel is doing it in the floor of the square. As the square has the same dimensions of the wheel, we can build it completely there. This fact eliminates the need of building complicate scaffoldings and allows the process to be done precisely. Two cranes will lift up the ring to its definitive position. The 16 cabins will be put in the ring one by one once this is vertical.
By joining in a single building the program of the mirador and the Elche Station (see option 3, panel 1) we obtain the largest potential of the intervention.
This idea is easily possible because the site of the project is located within the double platform area of the train tunnel. The creation of an underground parking will improve the functioning of this services. Due to the proximity of the exiting parking under the paseo, the possibility of joining them can be studied.
Advantages of the option 3:
-the visitor arrives in Elche and he perceives an attractive image. Rather than arriving in a dark tunnel, the visitor first meets Elche in a patio with palms where the wheel is visible.
-Double promotion of the site: mirador + station
-the current station site will be vacant. The benefit that will arise from its sale could be invested in the new project and in the improvement of the public spaces.
-optimization of the investment: 10 M € (mirador and promenade) + 6M € (renovation of the station) + money from the sales of the station site
-logic and suitable position for Elche station, at the end of the promenade.
-creation of a more representative station for the city. The current building doesn't have any spatial quality and we think it is not efficient to invest 6 M € on it.
-possibility of sharing facilities; restaurant, parking, ..etc
The Wheel Square together with the mirador building make a public space of an enormous potential.
Elche´s Wheel can become in the background image of many events such us concerts, open-air movies, theater plays, markets and fairs.
The rings of the wheel can be the frame of vertical garden and many other possible temporary configurations.
Strategy in the close surroundings: Virtual re plantation of Elche´s Palmeral
After the total pedestrianization of the promenade, we propose to keep it as a "hard" surface, due to the large amount of events that take place on it, and would be impossible in a green area.
Therefore, the strategy for the treatment of this space will be the "virtual" plantation of the palms and cultivations that were there years ago. We propose a catalogue of eight elements that are inspired on the fundaments of the palm grove. In this way, we bring in a didactic way the essence of the history of the Palmeral back to the city.
Paseo Elements:
1- Solar Palmeral
Along the promenade and square a we will plant 1500 m2 of "solar trees". These trees are composed by a circular frame holding a panel of polycrystalline silicium. They will generate electrical energy to compensate part of the electricity demands from the wheel and the installations in the promenade..
2- Moveable Palmeral
This area is meant for the cultivation of Palm trees. The small palms are placed in sliding pots on rails in the floors. This allows and interaction with the pedestrian who can design its own Palmeral configuration.
When these palms grow, enough will be moved to the park and new ones will be planted here.
3- Light Palmeral
The dots of lights represent the palms that one day were in the promenade. They will be also spread in the Palmeral areas. They will be lighted in the night with the electricity of the solar trees.
4- Water cloud Palmeral
We create recreational areas with clouds of water steam. They represent the microclimate that is generated in the cultivation spaces between palms. It could be considered the possibility of using an adiabatic cooling system during summer months that refresh the atmosphere and lows the temperature.
5- Shadow Palmeral
During warm months, some pergolas will be installed to provide pleasant shaded areas.
6- Palmeral cultivation
Autochthonous spices will be planted in areas along the promenade. They represent the cultivation areas located between the palm trees.
7- Palmeral to rest
Se crean zonas de descanso a lo largo del Paseo. Su diseño seguirá el trazado de la foto pixelizada del Palmeral
8- Palmeral carpet
With five different tones of grey colored concrete tiles, we produce a mosaic out of a pixilated aerial view of the Palmeral. From a pedestrian point of view, one can see a nice carpet, and from the wheel, one can perceive the complete image.
project name:
MIRADOR del PALMERAL de ELCHE
type of project:
COMPETITION
Two phases competition:
1st phase: open for everybody. Selection of two teams.
2nd phase: two teams selected from 1st phase + SANAA, MVRDV, MARTÍNEZ-LAPEÑA TORRES ARQUITECTOS, ÁBALOS-SENTKIEWICZ + ARQUITECTURA AGRONÓMÍA.
Results:
1st prize: STAR strategies + architecture
2nd prize: SANAA
3rd prize: MARTÍNEZ-LAPEÑA TORRES ARQUITECTOS,
Accesit:
MVRDV
ÁBALOS-SENTKIEWICZ + ARQUITECTURA AGRONÓMÍA.
YIC
CONSTRUCTION EXPECTED TO START IN 2010
credits:
-1st Phase: STAR strategies + architecture
Director:
Beatriz Ramo López de Angulo
Team:
Jean-Vianney Deleersnyder, Simone de Iacobis, Luca Vandini, Jordi Milá Jansá, Alberto Perez Cols.
Logistics: Javier Ramo, Ana López - Angulo, Bernd Upmeyer (BOARD)
Model: Vincent de Rijk
Consulting: ARUP España
city, country:
Elche, Spain
organizer:
City of Elche
budget:
10 mill euro
firm website:
www.s-t-a-r.nl
photo credit:
STAR strategies + architecture
World Architecture : e-architect - a guide to key buildings across the globe
Comments / photos for the Mirador del Palmeral Spain Architecture page welcome:
info@e-architect.co.uk
Mirador del Palmeral Building : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
Buildings by this architect:
House of Arts and Culture
Key Links:
Madrid Architecture
Barcelona Architecture
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