SECOND LIFE

2021
Team point of view
From the 50s, the fever of the greenhouses brought a rapid population increase and an important expansion of the agricultural areas. Trapped between sea and mountains, Roquetas de Mar cannot expand beyond its geographical limits, which causes a competition between urban and agricultural land. The colonial heritage, that permitted the territory development, had been mistreated: many colonial houses are abandoned, the new buildings are no longer based on local resources and, since the economic crisis of 2008, many constructions had been left unfinished. Also, the wastes from greenhouses are flooding the empty spaces of the city, occupying spaces and contaminating the souls. The project restores life to those ignored places. The different actions link heritage, architecture and climate change, putting in value environmental, social and economy using constructive systems that had been lost.

Jury Point of View
The project arises as a response to the unique needs of a coastal city that is torn between being a tourist or agricultural city. As a result, it is a reflective bet on the genuine and specific needs of this coastal city, where the price of agricultural land devoted to intensive low- priced farming competes in price with suitable land for development. With the goal of "reusing waste," the proposal investigates both urban and agricultural fabric. Their key strategy for resilient development is to reconsider urban planning through micro-insertions. It works to recover patrimonial property as a source of identity, as well as to recycling half-built buildings inherited from the last real estate bubble.