OOIIO's "Culture Square" wins Plaza del Salvador Rehabilitation in Spain

The Plaza del Salvador in Talavera de la Reina, Spain will be getting a restoration by OOIIO Architecture, who won 1st place with their "Culture Square" proposal in an open international competition.

Described by the OOIIO team as an urban intervention, the proposal aims to not only revive the structure itself, but to also bring about a new public cultural space.

Read more about it below.

Project description:

"The Square of Culture is a proposal of urban intervention on which has a main objective to revitalize culturally the public space of Talavera de la Reina. We make a multiple and flexible scenic space which surrounds and delimits El Salvador square. A place you can enjoy watching a film in the summer cinema, listening to music in the open air, going to photography exhibitions, dancing in concerts and 'verbenas'..."

"This project comes from a rigorous analysis of the public urban space in Talavera, taking into account the traffic flows, sunlight, topography and pre-existing use. Let’s reactivate the public space!"

"TRAFFIC FLOWS AND GRADIENTS: The project takes advantage of the square natural gradient to generate several open air stages and grandstands. The square pa- vement reaches from pedestrian zone to the road, to achieve a visually larger square and make the passer-by the real user of the public space.

SUNLIGHT AND FUNCTIONALITY: The square shaping comes from the sunlight and shadows study, with a functional objective. The children games zone with morning winter sunlight, the benches, grandstands and vegetation on protected from summer sunlight."

"SIGHTS AND VEGETATION: The frame-stage is placed in the most visible point of the square becoming an emblemaƟ c element of the Culture Square.  The exisƟ ng vegetaƟ on is reinforced by a green slope which surrounds the main stage.

USE AND CULTURAL REACTIVATION: Current uses (church, school and commercial) are emphasized, as long as we preserve an specifi c area for children to play and some terraces and we create a scenic space with double stage for cultural entertainment events.  This urban auditorium will make the cultural offering of Talavera more powerful."

Project details

STATUS: Competition. First Prize. (Today under Tender Phase)
LOCATION: Talavera de la Reina, Spain
AREA: 1.065 m2
DESIGN: OOIIO Architecture
TEAM: Joaquín Millán Villamuelas, Gabriela Sanz, Miguel Cárdenas, Magdalena Polvorinos
CLIENT: Council of Talavera de la Reina
STRUCTURES: CPE Consultora s.l.
COMPLETION TIME: 2015

All images courtesy of OOIIO Architecture.

Click the thumbnails below for diagrams.