The Gallery of Mértola's many scenes

The horizontal terrace traversing the building creates a place which due to the web of curtains we can freely divide, creating a new local expanse from of the River Tower ruins is availabletissue

The undeveloped area along the eastern bank of Mértola is hugely made up of steep cliff which dynamically tower in the direction of the city walls. It is there at the base of these cliffs where the remains of the once mighty river tower Torre do Rio are stretched. At the present it is difficult to observe the tentatively looming pylons of what once was a tower which history plays a major part in the heritage of Mértola. To resurface the place again from within the steep bank of Guadiana an object was needed which would, while respecting the hermetic architecture of the hilly town, bring the eastern bank closer with all of it's remaining. Mértola is a small town located in the south-eastern part of Portugal near the Spanish border, in the area Alenteio in the district of Beja. Southern part of the city is completely retained in its former historical character. Numerous streets between which stretches the walls of houses with whitewashed walls, cut by shutters in the colors of the Portuguese ceramics, create a Mediterranean character. In such a harmonious and unified space I wanted to enter form. The building visible in the background of the city, and at the same time referring to the Portuguese character. I wanted to gallery located in the middle place below the city walls could be seen from the city promoting the place and its attractions. Breaching the stoney slope, the lump of the gallery springs above the city walls, flagging it's presence from the town level while in the process it is becoming the part of it. Its simple form manifests within the landscape, preserving the town's static tissue. The horizontal terrace traversing the building creates a place which due to the web of curtains we can freely divide, creating a new local expanse from which an overview of the River Tower ruins is available