Cuarto y mitad

Intervention Strategy

The proposed site, with an area of 5,653 m², includes key elements for its layout, such as the public school, a landscaped area, Caravaca, Guadalajara, and Bahía streets, and the old market. The latter, located in a building of little architectural and historical value, is not considered suitable for preservation.
We propose maintaining the continuity of Caravaca Street (an extension of Chambel Street) by shifting it to the northern part of the plot to expand the space allocated to the plaza. This street, although vehicular, will be visually integrated into the plaza through unified paving and leveling, creating a single continuous plane. Some ficus trees will be transplanted to green areas located in the northern sector of the plot. On this street, two entrances to the underground parking will be established on levels -1 and -2.
With the open space defined, we propose situating the market on the west side, adjacent to Bahía Street, which is characterized by its residential use and the presence of isolated shops.
The proposal includes three architectural components above ground level: the market, a building for residential and office use, and commercial spaces with garages. This layout allows for optimized use of each element and facilitates phased execution of the construction.
This proposal meets the minimum required surface areas and expands spaces allocated for profitable uses, respecting the designated building capacity.

The Market

The market, as a public, social, and commercial space of great importance for the city, will have access from all four sides: Guadalajara Street, the interior of the plaza, Caravaca Street, and a pedestrian passage proposed in this project, which facilitates access to both the market and commercial spaces, connecting the entire urban area comprehensively. This design aims to ensure that the flow of people within the market, with entrances and exits on all four sides, benefits all the stalls equally. The proposal includes perimeter walkways that allow appreciation of the surrounding views and optimize natural light entry, a key aspect in market design.
The market is a sustainable building, designed to ventilate naturally through its side enclosures and skylights in the roof. The proposed roof, made of reinforced concrete with grass landscaping accessible from the utility area, helps maintain optimal temperature and enhances the building’s aesthetics.
This market is conceived as a dynamic and permeable space, a meeting point for citizens that extends into the public environment. A 4.5-meter sidewalk has been planned on Guadalajara Street, providing ample access and a direct connection to the city.
The technical installations, such as fire protection tanks, expulsion pumps, and electrical panels, are housed in an independent unit on the first level, situated on the east facade facing the public plaza. Some installations will be hidden under a false ceiling, while others will be visible depending on their function.
This winged structure creates a large porch that extends over the plaza.
It is noteworthy that the fire protection tanks, requiring significant space for water storage, influence spatial design. The market structure will consist of reinforced iron, with lights in the bays and an auxiliary perimeter metal frame. Additionally, it will feature panels and slats to optimize ventilation. The total built area of the market is 814.93 m².

Commercial Spaces

The commercial area acts as a link between the market and the residential and office building, playing an essential role in the connection diagram by constituting a key public space.
The built area of these commercial spaces is 229.79 m².

Residential and Office Building

This building, part of an architectural ensemble, integrates diverse activities and height, creating a distinctive public space in its surroundings.
On the ground floor, spaces that are not related to access have been freed, thus enhancing continuity and flow within the public space.
The first three floors of the building are allocated to offices and municipal services, with a total built area of 1,218.37 m².
From the fourth to the eighth floors, one- and two-bedroom apartments, all with terraces, are distributed. The one-bedroom apartments cover 69.10 m², while the two-bedroom apartments occupy 79.53 m². In terms of design, the building features two architectural gestures: the first is a cut in the angle facing the market, creating an opening in the space; the second is a box of offices projecting toward the water feature over the plaza.
The total closed built area is 1,478.98 m², with 251.16 m² allocated to terraces, resulting in a total building area of 2,294.51 m².

Parking Garage

The parking garage is located beneath the area defined in the competition, with access from Guadalajara Street and Bahía Street, providing two entrances and two exits for both vehicles and pedestrians. This underground garage has two levels and offers a total of 284 parking spaces for vehicles, 20 spaces for motorcycles, 6 adapted spaces for people with disabilities, and 2 charging points for market provisioning.
Each level has a constructed area of 4,147.28 m², totaling 8,294.56 m².

The Public Space

The layout proposal is based on concepts that enhance public space by promoting the city’s horizontal expansion. We believe that public space should offer something additional to balance the density of urban buildings and create equilibrium between empty and filled spaces.
Caravaca Street has been reconfigured, with its layout shifted and levels adjusted to maintain vehicular traffic flow while integrating visually and functionally with the plaza through consistent materials and levels that harmonize with the surroundings.
In this context, activities have been grouped vertically by creating the residential and office building, whose ground floor is used solely for access, allowing it to merge with the surrounding public space. Architectural elements define areas that, in some cases, are enclosed, such as the commercial spaces, creating spaces within spaces or boundary spaces that function as interior public areas.
In terms of vegetation, the garden area in the northern part of the plot has been expanded, including grass dunes 1.5 meters high, trees, and benches to create shaded areas. In these zones, structural reinforcement of the HoAo slab of the plaza will be necessary in certain sections. Suggested tree species include orange trees, lemon trees, or other medium-sized species, and a water feature with a sheet and vaporizing jets is proposed to refresh the central area of the plaza.
This design creates a spacious and versatile area suitable for various activities. The total area to be urbanized is 4,504.97 m².
For the implementation of this proposal, a Detailed Study will be prepared, including all necessary parameters for its realization.