CONSTRUCTING ENCOUNTERS

Constructing encounters is a neighborhood revitalization project in El Arenal, Mallorca. It rethinks how public space design can encourage human encounters between tourists and residents, it investigates the potential of open-ended architecture to lay the foundation for sustainable local tourism.

The project explores a model of diffused public space which reintegrates local residents into the city life and incorporates programmatic flexibility for better economic and social resilience in the low touristic season. A diffused public space means that there is a strong focus on softening the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces, so that there is a new synergy between the street activity and the rehabilitated courtyards of the housing blocks. Since mediating with the complex reality of the existing neighborhood was very important, various urban strategies and architectural interventions are layered onto the site. In practice in means that decayed parking lots and backyards are turned into active courtyards; the central car axis becomes a friendly pedestrian zone; a wooden street facade signals presence of resident-oriented activity; the use of locally sourced materials gives a unique visual identity to the neighborhood, transverse ground floor links invite tourists to take part in the outdoor city life alongside residents; small community buildings take root on abandoned plots for resident-oriented facilities and businesses; the main public green area is a productive community orchard; the intriguing in-between outdoor and indoor spaces add local charm, domestic qualities and human scale to the neighborhood’s public realm. The aim is that residents no longer feel isolated from their city’s public life and are able to develop parallel activities to the tourism industry, while still benefiting from its presence. In turn, the local feel of the neighborhood adds value to the touristic offer and attracts visitors who are more likely to seek authenticity and memorable experiences as opposed to consumption tourism. In the long term, this project aims to recover public space as a place of human encounter so as to place hospitality and host-guest relationships back as the driver of El Arenal’s tourism.