While it is entirely possible for architects to transform a town or city with a single building, combining disciplines can provide an even greater catalyst for change. Spanish firm Fündc works across the gamut of architecture, landscape design, urban planning and infrastructure design to realize its visions of place-making, and no project illustrates these visions better than the New Cultural Center in Pozuelo de Alarcón, just outside Madrid in Spain.
Tasked with tackling congestion and poor-quality public space at this key junction within Alarcón, Fündc’s design interventions went well beyond the boundaries of the center’s bold concrete walls, turning a busy square into a pedestrian-friendly haven for social activity. Here’s how they did it, step by step:
1. The Vision
Fündc’s playful section illustrates all the ways in which the firm looked to improve the quality of experience for people within the square at the center of Pozuelo de Alarcón. Design moves include the removal of vehicles from the streetscape to prioritize pedestrians and the addition of a fresh focal point and architectural landmark for locals: the New Cultural Center.
2. Massing Models
The firm modeled a large area of the region to study the juxtaposition of architectural styles and massing of buildings adjacent to the square. Old or notable buildings are shown in blue, with the contrasting form of the New Cultural Center seen in light gray at the center of the model. This contrast illustrates that the new building respects the roof line and massing of existing buildings while dynamically contrasting with its angular, sculptural volume.
3. Public Space Concepts
This sketched axonometric view shows how Fündc’s interventions help transform the public realm, giving it back to the people instead of it being dominated by traffic. The repositioning of roads underground allows for vehicular flows to be maintained at this key intersection, and new architectural landscaping features such as fountain pools and what the firm calls “mega-tree-pots” attract life to the square.
4. Program Development
Fündc carefully mapped out the cultural center’s mixed-use program with the aid of a color-coded axonometric diagram. The drawing shows the primary exhibition spaces marked in red, including a rooftop terrace that extends from the new building to its historic neighbor. A pair of sketched interior perspectives (above) illustrate how a system of cascading levels provides a flexible space that can be reconfigured for different uses throughout the year.
5. Construction
Delivering the cultural center on site involved the careful organization of cranes and other construction vehicles to navigate this compact town square and pour the distinctive faceted walls of reinforced concrete. Construction of the building itself was the tip of the proverbial iceberg: much of the work occurred below grade, where new roads, bus lanes, underground parking and foundations for Fündc’s “mega-tree-pots” were created.
6. Completion
On completion in 2011, Fündc was able to celebrate with the local community, having delivered the largest urban project the town has seen for decades. The building provides 23,700 square feet (2,200 square meters) of space for cultural events above ground, with a further 113,000 square feet (10,500 square meters) underground providing infrastructural improvements that allow this town square to be filled with life all year round.
Enjoy this article? Check out the other projects highlighted in our Step by Step series: Makoko Floating School by NLÉ Architects, Y:Cube by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Casa Raumplan by Alberto Campo Baeza.