We have understood Manresa as the city
that one day settled itself on a hill bordering the river Cardener, in front of
Montserrat mountains. The City Hall building stands near the edge of the
platform that, occupied by the historic quarter, juts out towards the river and faces Montserrat.
The main facade overlooks the central city plaza, and is the terminus of the main routes that cut through
the historic centre.
The back facade occupies the limit we are talking about, where the topography
drops rapidly down towards the river.
The new communication core in this back
facade of the City Hall building, resolves simultaneously the closing of the
building, which is nowadays in ruins. Considering its situation in the
building, in the city and in the territory, we have focused the tensions of its
emplacement into the design of this piece: continuity
with the historic quarter and connection with its surrounding landscape.
The proposed stair may be understood as
segments of these routes, that crossing the building of the City Hall, pass through it and try to extend themselves
further on as cantilevers towards the river. A
panorama staircase, an intervention between the city and the territory.