AWDITORIUM

Awditorium is a project focused on the repurposing of an abandoned public ravine of prime historical importance to the town to the benefit of the population. This once was the limit of the old town, and later on, the connection between it and the city outskirts. Nowadays, it is a centric location and yet abandoned.

The project started with a deep understanding of the area obtains through historical research of both, the old town and its ancient walls, and insitu and personal assessment of the building plot and surroundings. The general strategy comes from the desire to connect the old town and the northern outskirts through the ravine instead of the bridge. Once, two slopes allowed people to descend from each side but, since the bridge was built, only the south one is used and the north has been neglected. Therefore, the new building shape will resemble the forgotten north trail by replacing it with concrete walls and beams. Those structural elements will define the characteristics of the spaces in a tectonic way. Thus, two environments would be created: an exterior park and an interior public facility under it. The roof becomes the main facade of the building, where the straight concrete walls limit the different levels and slopes. The new landscape reminds the walker the Menorca's north coast with its typical dry stone walls. Underneath it, space becomes fluid as the exterior concrete walls become beams. Plus, the sunlight that comes from skylight windows and the partition walls with organic geometries remember of the sea. The new facility aims to work like a staircase creating different public areas on different levels, always attached to the exterior park. Besides, an elevator connects the ravine’s top north area with the bottom in a vertical manner, stopping in each level of the building, making the whole construction accessible. It is perfect for the new building to be an auditorium due to its centric location and its long-span structural system. Also, the park will take advantage of it because of the interior public areas -such as the bar and toilets- will remain open to the public through the day. This facility will become the starting point for walks through the ravine and the joining point between the old town and new neighbourhood. Thus, what it is currently an abandoned and purposeless area will become an activity node for the city.