Puigpelat Town Gate
The project is located in the old access to the 12th century walled enclosure of Puigpelat, popularly called “El Portal”. The municipality is located on a hill above the plain of the Alt camp, with magnificent views on the Tarragona countryside.
This is a refurbishment intervention of the outer space of the portal (double stone arch, Roman and Gothic) that saves the gap between the town and the lower fields. This access was quite degraded by the passage of time itself and by a precarious drainage network that has been damaging the existing pavements and retaining wall.
The slope of the old stairs has been noticeably softened by stepped ramps that are born from the two ends of the wall. This has a curved geometry with two extreme accesses and a wider central viewpoint at the top.
We emphasize the powerful geometry of the wall through an inclined crown of steel that becomes a comfortable support to contemplate the vineyards.
The natural stone of the place, the pavements of brown concrete pavers, seeds plaster and steel cuttings, integrate chromatically with the environment. These materials have been chosen especially for their durability and low maintenance. A careful lighting and minimal landscaping consolidate a pleasant space without unnecessary artificialities.
| Location | Puigpelat, Tarragona |
| Year | 2005 |
| Completion date | 2007 |
| Surface | 300 m² |
| Budget | 120.225 € |
| Promoter | Ajuntament de Puigpelat & Diputació de Tarragona |
| Constructor | Fulgencio Villar SL |
| Team | Sergio López, architecture. MIF, quantity surveyor. BM Lighting Design. |
| Publications | Selected to 5th Biennal Architecture Alejandro de la Sota. |
Ca Creus Library
Valls
The proposal is framed within the “Plan of Urban Improvement for the Old Town Center of Valls”. The plan is to build a new municipal library, as well as a residential building, an underground car park and a public space, at the crossroad between the streets of Forn Nou and Sant Pere.
The approaching views are very important and, in our opinion, must be capitalized by the new library. In this way, the library generates the new plaza. We place the housing units facing the street of Sant Pere.
We position the access ramp to the car park at the junction between the two buildings, freeing the public space of this element. The project integrates the pedestrian exits of the parking into the buildings.
Dialogues between limits and the search for the south
We were concerned by providing a pleasant solution to the union between old and new. We believe in the importance to establish an interesting dialogue both between the limits of the intervention and the environment, as well as within the internal limits themselves. Our proposal is to do it through a set of fissures that function as transition holes. Generating these interstices, the buildings approach each other with deference.
Like the vast majority of old towns, that of Valls is predominantly gloomy. The north orientation of both the buildings and the plaza does not help in the improvement of this aspect. In contrast, the center of the block enjoys plenty of sun, thanks to the porosity of the space. We take advantage of the proposed fissures between the buildings to generate leaks of light and sun.
The powerful language of form
Let’s imagine the building as a large stone die that has been sculpted. Through voids and fillings we are giving shape (and response) to the library. The abstract geometries that we generate help us to enhance the presence of equipment within a highly consolidated residential building environment. The powerful beauty of forms seduces the viewer, inviting him to discover what is hidden behind them.
How voids fill the space
Deepen the relationships between spaces. Since the program is developed in height, we wanted to integrate some floors with others by emptying certain areas. This allows us to create visual relationships between floors that share the same use, enhance the volumes within the same building and bring overhead light to intermediate floors … Few times subtracting has added so much!
| Location | Valls, Tarragona |
| Year | Finalist competition 2007 |
| Surface | 4.530 m² |
| Budget | 4.998.018 € |
| Promoter | Ajuntament de Valls |
| Team | Gorka Álvarez, David Agustin, architecture. Carlos Ortega 72 dpi rendering. Monica Simoes, graphic design. |