Monte Paradise Resort

The project is located on a plot oriented towards the east, with a very steep slope. The residential compound is conceived as an alternative to its context, which is dominated by two-story semi-detached houses with individual garages. The result is the conventional residential product, lacking connection with neighbours and being neither accessible, nor comfortable for senior residents. As an alternative, the design proposes two-story blocks containing two accessible apartments: a ground-floor apartment with a garden and an upper-floor one with a rooftop solarium. The apartments are connected to each other by accessible pedestrian pathways, giving the spatial configuration a layout similar to that of a hillside “village.” 

The site is functionally organized into four zones: at the lowest level is the entrance to the complex, preceded by an open space with generous landscaped areas that showcase the spatial quality of the rest of the development. The second section includes a building garage for parking and storage units, seamlessly integrated into the hillside. The intermediate zone concentrates the apartments, the network of pedestrian pathways, and the communication hubs that traverse the complex from bottom to top. At the top of the hill, there is a community terrace equipped with pool and solarium area offering panoramic views of the sunset and the sea. 

The design incorporates several solutions aimed at sustainable management and circular use of natural resources. It is designed to operate entirely on renewable energy generated by solar panels installed on the rooftops. To reduce water consumption, a natural wastewater treatment plant is planned for recycling black and grey water, which will be used for toilet systems and garden irrigation. Additionally as part of the circular strategy, the stone extracted during excavation will be reclaimed to clad the façades and retaining walls, ensuring they blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. 

 

 

Parques Asocados. Green Infrastructure Plan

An arid and particularly windy climate characterises the municipality of Ingenio. Furthermore, this area in the southeast of the island of Gran Canaria is represented by one of the highest radiation levels in the already sunny Canary archipelago. The municipality’s population is fragmented and linearly distributed in three urban centres framed to the north and south by two ravines.

The Parques Asocados are three open spaces, protected from the trade winds, which occupy the banks of the Ingenio and Guayadeque ravines as they pass through the town centres of Ingenio, El Carrizal and El Burrero.

These parks are green infrastructures that combine natural purification functions, sustainable rainwater drainage, urban vegetable gardens and biodiversity reserves. They are also social infrastructures providing recreational spaces and community activities that will serve as a refuge for local residents on hot days. The parks are linked by two landscaped pedestrian and cycle paths that form a green corridor connecting the interior of the municipality with the coast and vice versa. The Associated Parks are complemented by “green fingers” colonising the main streets.

 

 

 

Roundabout Totem

The design upgrades the traditional advertising poles proliferating in malls and gas stations that are mainly used for advertising and business visibility.

The design strategy seeks to enhance its functionality by improving its visual access. The design system consists of rotating eight blocks of a prism in accordance with the movement of vehicles around the roundabouts where they are placed.

Each module includes a video screen similar to those in football stadiums and the video panels give information regarding access to car parks, availability of parking spaces and commercial ads.

Arrecife Waterfront & Marina

Arrecife is the capital of Lanzarote (Canary Islands). It has a unique geographical location formed by a group of rocky reefs, puddles and islets that constitute and make its coastal front singular. The most interesting part of its history is the efort to communicate the islets and urbanize the “puddles”. The bridge “Puente de Las Bolas”, built in the late sixteenth century, and the pool of San Gines are some of the best examples to do this.

Our intervention strategy consolidates this pattern of growth along the waterfront and the port. The project consists of the extension of two pedestrian pathways along the coastal front, creating new pools and communicating the existing islets.

The resulting loop generates urban spaces where new uses are placed. The crossings of the loop generate nodes that host kiosks, meeting places and water-taxi stations.

Digital Totem for the Canary Islands beaches

The digital totems are smart weather stations that collect and display environmental and local information for tourists and visitors of beaches and waterfronts in the Canary Islands (Spain). They are part of an ICT infrastructural network that celebrates the rooted relationship between the Canary Islands culture and their extraordinary climate.

The design is inspired by the aboriginal ceramic art pieces from the indigenous inhabitants of the islands. This art was based on the worship of the sun god “Magheq”, usually represented through circular shapes and decorative geometric patterns.

The design consists of a digitally fabricated solid wood ring standing vertically with a north-south orientation. The southern face hosts an array of photovoltaic modules that turn sunlight into electricity for phone and e-bike charging. The northern face contains a 1,2 m2 video screen that broadcasts real-time environmental data captured by the totem and useful information regarding tourist activities and services in the area. In addition to its technological and digital features, the totem also provides analogy and material values to attract attention and enrich the pedestrian
urban experience.

The resulting solution celebrates more than five hundred years of the creative relationship of the Canary Islands with the sun. From the marking of the solstices for agricultural purposes and the sun and beach tourism to the more recent challenges of producing sustainable energy with solar panels.