Historic
Reference
The Palace of
Marqués of Camarena stands on the grounds of a former fortress house, dating
from the XV century. Only part of the tower at one side of the building remains
standing.
The main front of
the palace still keeps its masonry relatively level. It still has the sound and
noble air of the old times. The other front looked disordered and it did not
seem to belong to the whole.
In the inside the
most interesting find was the central cloister, very well preserved, although
in showed signs of having undergone but few changes.
Design Criteria
The essential
criterion which has guided the design of the image of the inside has been the idea of
preservation. All work in the building has been done preserving all those
elements which were previously there. This work shows, as much as possible, its
present-day condition and the results of the passage of time. At the same time
it has created the greatest possible contrast between the old things and the
new ones. Preservation has been the idea which has controlled the final look of
the building, the finish and the details in each and every one of the parts of
the palace.
Coating,
flooring, doors, stairs, etc. have been placed in such a way that all the
elements previously existing can still be seen.
The original
structure has been preserved as much as possible. However, being the purpose of
the building a different one from the one traditionally given to a palace,
changes have been made wherever it has been considered necessary.
This essential
criterion enhances the building and presents the new spaces as if drawn in the
air.
The contrast
between the old elements and the new ones emphasizes the value and antiquity of
the building: new stairs, just barely noticeable but for the shine of the
stainless-steel ca les and handrails which were never meant to be hidden; new
floors separated from the old walls; new materials parallel placed over the
previously existing ones.