Reading the basis of a competition is a very important starting point since they recognize the needs an architect must satisfy.
In this particular case, Europan 12 competition, outlines a subject difficult to be solved: the development of both a great number of living houses and educational services in an already occupied site. This site is occupied by industrial buildings not proper to assume the new uses suggested.
At first, recovering the existent infrastructure seemed the most logical option, providing it with the proper cultural and /or productive program considering its size, taking solutions already proved as successful ones.
But this possibility does not take into account the possibility of including the great number of living houses suggested in the basis. For this reason, instead of questioning the convenience of the program of the competition, we accept the initial decisions taken by the City through its planning and we start working under this assignment.
On the other hand, the basis of the competition strongly asks that the living houses are in the north part of the site, while a school is located in the south. Thus, only the central area is subject for thinking what kind of urban space to outline.
As results from the analysis of this basis, as well as of the concept of city implied in it, the project takes the decision of avoiding the nostalgic and symbolic characteristics of the existent constructions and not keeping them. A new building is generated with such a scale and size that continues the former urban structure.
For this purpose, the project does not suggest a site separated into different areas associated to the different uses, as the basis considered. One new building is presented whose sections would bring together the different programs: living houses, educational use, free space and public space.
This way, the city would offer only one complex building that achieves the adequate representation claimed by the outskirts.
The project takes on the challenge of suggesting the coexistence of the educational use with the living use. It considers the school as a contemporary public space based on culture and learning (and not only on sports and leisure) that goes beyond the strict classrooms program.
This way, an urban infrastructure facilities appear, a Learning Center that housing a school spreads out along the ground floor of the building, generating a plinth closely connected with the city, crossed by new urban routes.
The plinth gives way to a great roof that develops different environments in the open air to be enjoyed by the city itself as well as by the school and the neighborhood association.
As results from the great number of living houses, great parallelepiped of narrow corridors appear. These achieve the fragmentation of the volumetric impact caused by the high built area suggested. The slenderness of the constructions makes them visually impressive and provides the area with quite representative elements.
To conclude, possibly in this project some of the most positive ideas of the modern urbanism are clearly noticed. The idea of a great Dwelling Machine as urban structure that brings together in the same construction the dwelling use with other urban infrastructures, this way suggesting the mixture of uses required for a city to be functioning properly.