URBAN CONDENSERS I

Project Details

THEME : Design Studio

CATEGORY: Summer Workshop

COLLABORATOR: ETSAM UNIVERSITY

DATE: Summer 2019

Cities are places of opportunity where we operate. The main objective was the enhancement of urban heritage, as a complex and multifaceted entity, both material and immaterial. A perspective from architecture encompassed not only the built structures but also all the flows that activate both the habitat and spaces.

The scope of action proposed was the Plaza del Carmen in the densely built historic city center of Madrid. This public space was part of a series of interconnected urban voids that shaped the city's life. The square's morphology had undergone numerous transformations over the centuries.

The workshop included architectural and urban exploration of the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Using the map and routes as an initial reference, we had students experience the city's landscape and undertake the challenge of walking through the entire promenade.

MAIN HIGHLIGHTS >

- Visits to and detailed explanations of several case studies in the visited cities.

- Exposure to diverse professionals and academics.

- Certificate of attendance for the Short Course PUBLIC CONDENSERS [IN MADRID] offered by ETSAM, School of Architecture of Madrid.

- Publication of Students' Work

The name of this square is derived from the Carmen Calzado Convent, which was once located in the area. The Carmen Church is situated on the nearby street of the same name. The square was expanded during the reforms of 1861, which led to the demolition of the Carmen Calzado convent.

A handball court (Fronton Central) was constructed in 1898 under the architect Daniel Zavala. After 1904, it was transformed into one of Madrid's largest music halls and later, the Madrid Cinema complex. The building is currently undergoing renovation to become a shopping center while retaining its neoclassical facade.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the square was connected to the nearby Plaza de Callao through the basement of the former Hotel Florida (designed by Antonio Palacios), which was demolished after the Civil War.


The current square has experienced significant degradation, partly due to the changed uses in its surroundings, but also due to the segregated spaces created by the ramps and pedestrian entrances to the underground car park. The architectural barriers present in these squares, their lack of continuity with other public spaces, as well as their air and noise pollution, have combined to create an ongoing process of degradation that can be seen as an opportunity.

PROCESS + OUTPUTS

The proposed actions aim not only to document and analyze the existing vital experimentation of living in the place but also to propose schemes or architectural alternatives. These proactive actions can be approached from different project perspectives, serving as mechanisms for the conservation and activation of heritage through the coordination of international cooperation alongside local initiatives to solidify future networks and alliances. All activities are aligned with the theme set forth by the UN for Sustainable Development of the 2030 Agenda, "Transforming our world," focusing on sustainable development through the five pillars: Planet, People, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership.

One of the primary goals in preparing these proposals was to restore the squares to their role as recreational spaces, facilitating citizen interactions and providing spaces for relaxation. Simultaneously, this effort aimed to regain their identity and re-establish their connecting role between the city's public areas. This restoration should be founded on improving the square's comfort, introducing contemporary paving and street furniture, all contributing to an overall coherent and unified landscape. Teams are expected to devise strategies that ensure the connection and continuity of each square with the significant open spaces in their surroundings.

Each space's project should appropriately respond to the distinct demands and tensions present in its specific environment, resulting in attractive, continuous, and accessible places for coexistence. The interpretation and understanding of the urban landscape must be clearer, necessitating the elimination of negative impacts and the proliferation of superfluous elements. The perception and integration of the building heritage that shapes the architecture surrounding each square can be enhanced through various management and design strategies. Projects should strive to recapture each square's history, not in a nostalgic or reconstructive manner, but as a subtle reimagining of their historical identity.

Promoting the interplay between nature and urbanized spaces is crucial for "naturalizing" the city center. The integration of new generations of productive activities that align with the dimensions, location, and distinct characteristics of each square and car park would also be highly valued.

DISCUSSIONS AND GUEST LECTURERS

We had conferences given by professionals of recognized prestige with an approximate duration of 90 minutes. The objective is to have a more polyhedral view of reality. The theme revolves around interventions in the public space and the investigations carried out.
Sessions of round tables were conducted in which we will invite various professionals to comment on the proposals made. After the last round table and as a final act of the workshop, certificates of achievement of the same are delivered.


SANTIAGO CIFUENTES. Architect Director Cifuentes /Costales Arquitectura
Contemporary processes seem to carry difficulties in understanding and conducting urban transformation in such diverse and changing context. strategic elements which can be used to interpret and act in a rapid urban growth context. the interdisciplinary perspective of public space as part of strategic principles in spatial continuity of the commons needs in those structuring principles, as a notion of urban publicness. Discuss the strategic potential proposal and interventions between urban public spaces, aiming for its structuring potential for spatial continuity – public space, infrastructure and landscape.

LUIS ROJO CASTRO. PhD Architect ETSAM
Luis gave a deep and profound perspective towards architecture. Understanding series of dimensions of autonomous expression of social meaning in the space of flows, with emphasis on electronic spaces, but in interaction with the space of places. I argue that a new dynamics is operating, a dynamics of the interpenetration of uniformity and autonomy, of domination and resistance, and of instrumentality and experience, within the space of flows. The geography of the new history will not be made of the separation between places and flows, but out of the interface between places and flows and between cultures and social interests.

IRENE SECO. Department of cultural Cooperation AECID
Irene works within AECID, Spanish institution which works in many developing countries under cooperation and international development programs. Lecture presented the methodology and working system of the organization, their scope and impact. She also made a deep analysis of the usual problems and challenges they face while developing these projects. Many case studies from all over the world were exhibited and explained. Students got to know international governmental initiative which is related to what LxS Initiative is doing.

NICOLAS MARURI. PhD Architect / AmannCanovasMaruri
Nicolas Maruri works in AmannCanovasMaruri Office of Architecture. He explained several projects related to Heritage and Contemporary architecture in historical sites. Core focused was to understand the concept of contextualism, or contextual architecture is a principle of design in which the structure is designed in response to its specific urban and natural environment. In an architectural sense, context can be defined as giving meaning to the various parts of a building through reference to its wider surroundings.