2011 La NUCÍA (Alicante)

PERMANENT SEAT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALICANTE – SEU

A respect for collective memory, together with technical advances give rise to a dialogue of languages, which come together to prolong the life of the University of Alicante’s seat in La Nucía. Based on concepts such as the Upcycling of the Circular Economy, the Seu is reinventing itself following principles of nostalgia and conservationism. We began by reflecting on how to work on heritage. This initial exploration gave rise to the introduction of a worm structure capable of equipping the building with new technologies and that would structurally attach and anchor the most damaged parts. The idea was to create a new building that would cohabitate with the old one, establishing a dialogue between the two and obtaining a coherent whole. In this way, the old colegio de la República preserved its identity while its walls were taken down, generating a dynamic social exchange system. It curls up and projects itself over the square, appropriating the common areas of La Nucía, its surroundings and the Mediterranean Sea. The tentacular architecture also materialises in the square, distributing its vectors of action and relations, thus creating its own boardgame. Inside, the materiality reflects the dance of the buildings, each section meeting the project requirements differently, and providing, in turn, different usages. The recycled parts are dedicated to leisurely areas and classrooms; the extension holds the more dynamic areas and invites you to walk through as if you were in the street. An extra public area that exemplifies the new revolution: the reconquering of urban space.