Mutualism. The project as a parasite and the ensemble as a symbiosis
Eibar (ES) - Special Mention
TEAM PORTRAIT
VIDEO (by the team)
INTERVIEW
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1. How do you define the main issue of your project in relation with the theme “Living Cities Imagining architecture taking care of the milieus”? And in which way do you think your project can contribute to an ecological and/or social evolution?
The interpretation of the site as a enclave between the city and nature was essential. Thus the first question arose: can these two infrastructures mutually benefit? The project preserves the existing structure: slabs and pillars. While the artifact, conditions the whole complex as an entity that relies on the factory building and its landscape to provide it with what it lacks.
2. How did the issues of your design and the questions raised by the site mutation meet?
Currently, the hillside adjacent to the building is isolated from its immediate surroundings: the city. This issue, far from being an impediment to the design, was accepted as a challenge. As a result, the project is born as an artifact that rehabilitates and readapts the existing building and its attached landscape. It works as a nexus that reconciles two worlds: the old industry and the city.
PROJECT:
Although rehabilitation of industrial buildings was a topic that we had dealt with during our university studies, we had not applied it to the professional world until now. Our first reference was the symbiosis between mass and figurative representation in Oteiza's Abrazo sculpture, but it also transcends the existing building, blurring its tangible limits and extending it towards the city.
SITE:
The artifact and the ground floor invites to live in community, not only for its design but also for the flexibility it can offer to the dwellings; for additional uses of the inhabitants providing the space with identity. On the other hand, in a more direct way, the inhabitants would have an important role, through participatory processes and constant feedback from the population.
REFERENCES:
Our common ground is the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB) where we have been studying, researching and working together. During our Final Thesis, we saw Europan17 as a great opportunity to start the transition from the academic to the professional world. We thought that this competition could be a good challenge for us to start working together.
6. How could this prize help you in your professional career?
In our case, the honorable mention has been a reward for the desire and enthusiasm put into each competition held so far. It is a motivation to continue working and improving every day and to form a professional office. We are a young team, so having an award in such a competition with a lot of level and experience is a great incentive to continue researching and developing our work.
TEAM IDENTITY
Legal status:
Team name:
Average age of the associates: 26 years old
Has your team, together or separately, already conceived or implemented some projects and/or won any competition? if so, which ones?
As a team we have participated in some public or ideas competition, but without any prize or mention, until now.
WORKS: