GENERAL SECTIONS OF THE PROPOSED BUILDING

This pictures show how the welcoming pavilion is set on the environment.

DRAWINGS AND IDEA

Drawn plan of the plot.

This drawing shows the preexistences that are nowadays in the plot we are working on: the castle, the Santigao church, the Saint Martin´s church, the Roman Theatre and a small ruin that are right in our site-place.

The idea for the project is to build a light pavilion over some platforms that stand out of the soil thanks to a pilotis system, in order to minimize the damage to the possible ruins of the area.

The pavilion won't be compact, in fact, the aim is to create a split-up building that will appear from the olive trees while the visitors walk through a walkway. The building won't be high, one or two heights maximum, not to stand out from the landscape, as it is the ruins and churches what is the most important to see in the place.

As reference I have chosen this pavilion that represented Croatia in the Venice Biennale of 2012 for its material, rusty reinforcing iron - as it may represent the basis of the culture and the effect that time has in everything, for its subtleness, because it doesn't stand out from the environment, and because it matches well with the arid landscape and stone -, for the lightness it shows - it is easily possible to take it out from the place - and for the views it creates from the inside, without making any big effort.

A really light pavilion.

the facades provide shadow when the sun hits.

Many views are pointed out easily.

Taking this into account, my project would look quite like this, but in a more integrated way with the lanscape, trying to create a special space using the olive trees around.

The volumes will be spread all over the plot, interconnected by a walkway, and following both the path the trees create and the one for visitors too.

Visitors will start their way uo to the castle from the lower part, and they will have to cross the ticket office, and the decide either going to the bar/restaurant/rest area or continue with the visit.

In their way down, they will have the opportunity to go (back) to that area or keep going down the hill.

The pavilion for archaeologists is connected by this platform/walkway too, integrated with the other building.

The material for the facade will be corten steel or reinforcing rusty iron.

THE FIRST APPROACH

Medellín is a town that is located in Badajoz, in the province of Extremadura, founded by Romans.
Extremadua is well-known for being the place where conquerors Hernán Cortés and Pizarro were born. It is a land of emigration first occupied by the Romans, then by the Muslims and after by the Christians that wanted it for their reign of Castille in the Middle Ages.

Medellín. Aerial showing the castle, the bridge over
Guadiana river, the Santiago church, the Saint Martin
church and the hill where the castle was erected.

Extremadura was a wealthy place in the ages of emigration to conquer the New World, and that led to the construction of monuments, monasteries, convents and churches, but starting in the XVIth Century to the XIXth and to nowadays too, the economy has been suffering damage.

One of the biggest damage has been the wars (from Napoleon to the Spanish Civil War), but despite them, the Roman heritage is really visible, as it still preserves many monuments from that era. The most recent one is the Roman Theatre discovered in 2007, which is the main archaeological site in Spain nowadays, and belongs to the Vitrubius theatre-model.

The Roman Theatre, seen from the skene.

The theatre is in the unique slope of the city that leads to the XIVth Century-castle (destroyed and re-erected), and it is located besides the church of Santisago, a church constructed between the XIIIth and the XVIIth Centuries over a Roman temple´s podium.

Santiago church's lateral entrance.

Santiago church while approaching to it.

This church is in line with another church; Saint Martin's church, which was erected in the XIIth Century and, as a curiosity, is where Hernán Cortés was baptized.

Saint Martin's church.

Another aspect to take into account is that the plot is all surrounded by stone-paved roads that come from different points of the town until the castle.

One of the ways to arrive from the town to the plot.

Regarding the materials, all the path is made by stone pavimentation, as it is the prinecipal material in all the view; the Theatre, the churches and the castle are all constructed in stone. However, the fence that separates the uper part of the path from the gradient is made by corten-steel profiles.

Stone pavement.

The corten-steel profiles fence amongst the path
way to the castle.

Vegetation is mainly composed by some olive trees that are spread amongst the arid terrain.

The olive trees of the plot.

Thus, we can say that it is a unique place from the archaeological, architectural, historical, cultural and landscape views. It is a place where the sun hits with no more natural shadow than the few olive trees and the same for the rain protection; in winter there is nothing that will protect one from the common downpoors of Badajoz´s Novembers.

THE PROJECT

We have been asked to design a welcoming pavilion for visitors to some Roman ruins and a pavilion for the archaeologists that are currently studying those ruins recently found ruins in Medellín.

The welcoming pavilion should include a bar or restaurant, a rest area, a warehouse and some toilets, all in 255sqm.

The pavilion for archaeologists is supposed to include both interior and exterior working areas, a photo and drawing area, a restoration area, an office and meeting room, a warehouse, toilets and a dressing room, and all would occupy 475sqm.  

We are thought to plan a house for archaeologists. It is some kind of experiment, as it may be apart from the ensemble and it is possible that it is a house for retirement or spare time, a house for 2-3-4 people maybe, with single or group bedrooms... it may have reading or thinking rooms, living rooms, a conservatory, a library... and has no precise area yet.

The platforms and porticos that will relate all the stances are supposed to occupy around 200sqm.