FIRST CORRECTION

 The first idea that came to my mind when starting this project, was the idea of keeping the original landscape and level lines, and try to do something related to the land. This is why I started to do curves supported in the level lines, creating paths and developing the program.

Frist drawings of the development of the idea

The main influence during this process was the Hotel Tierra Patagonia of Cazu Zegers, a hotel in Patagonia that created a horizontal line without interfering in the great landscape. For the plan, she makes two curves, related to the dune curves that existint in the place. 

Images of the hotel in its context

Ground floor.

First, the buildings were over the landscape, having a great view impact. After that, the idea was developed and finally the building was semi-covered by the land, reducing the visual effect of the building.

Summary of the section's progress 

The main idea of the project is the creation of a series of walls that hide the building and also the program. Like this, when you arrive to the lowest part of the hill, there are no visual interferences between the landscape and the building. The program camouflages with the surroundings.

Simplified drawing of the main appearance of the hill after the intervention.
The project is just a combination of horizontal lines in the landscape.

Distribution of the program and the levels in the design

Distribution of the program

Situation of the project in the plot

When you arrive to the church of San Martín, there is one path that guides the visitor to a ramp. The visitor descends 1,3 meters and arrives to an open hall. Once in the hall, the visitor can gets into the welcoming pavilion, with the tickets office, toilets. etc and keep his way to the ruins, or can go though other ramp going up one meter until the restaurant, with an open terrace. 

First level floor. The crossing area is striped, and the shading part contains the ticket window and the toilets.

Second level floor. The crossing area is striped, and the shading part contains the kitchen, the bar and the toilets. There is one open terrace also from the restaurante in the left. 

There is another way to the ruins from the restaurant. When the visitor reaches the landscape real level, there is a big rest area, with seats and pergolas to rest and enjoy the views.

Third level floor. We propose an open space, with working areas and rest areas, some working rooms and meeting rooms are defined and separated from the commun area. 

The last level is the archeologists pavilion, where we can find the work rooms, rest areas, toilets, etc. The access for workers is separated from the visitor's one, and they enter from the upper path of the plot, with a ramp. Nearby the ramp's beginning, it is placed the interior working area of the archeologists, being here because of the closeness to the excavation area. Also because of the more short-lived character of those activities, this part of the program is placed in a lightest way than the others.

Forth level floor. The interior working area is placed over the ground and it has a perimeter portico around the building. This construction has a more short-lived character. 

Deck floor. The light gets into the covered places though skylights placed in the deck.

General section and detailed section with the main uses

SIMILAR INTERVENTIONS

SHELTERS FOR ROMAN ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE, 1985-86. Peter Zumthor

The protective lightweight wooden enclosures follow the outer walls of two of the original adjacent buildings as well as a third building of which only a corner was excavated and visible. By following the original perimeter, Zumthor conceived these "cases" as an abstract volumetric reconstruction of the Roman buildings. But only in footprint, not in height. 

Exterior of the building

An enigmatic metal box comes out apparently suspended from one of the building's wooden facades. This mysterious floating access contains a small stair and a solid steel door. This door opens into a long metal footbridge which runs across the interior of all the building at a raised observation level. Suspended here above the ground, Zumthor's design definitely works as a machine that allows the visitor the unique opportunity of walking down the stairs to step on real Roman soil. The visitor walks along the metal footbridge though dark connecting tunnels from one building to another. A few light metal stairs allow the connection down to the Roman soil.

Interior of the building

Zumthor's design has no ordinary windows, but the timber lamella walls admit light and air into the structure, filtering warm light and allowing the position of the sun to shine through the structure. Zenithal colours metal skylights provide extra light into the interiors. 

Detail of the skylights

Sections

RESTORATION AND CONSOLIDATION OF THE ROMAN FORUM OF GIRONA, 2009. Lola Domenech

Domenech makes an effort to recreate and make more powerful both the ambience as the distinctive characteristics of public buildings of I-III a.C. centuries.

View of the ruins

Once the mistaken interventions made in previous archeological works have been eliminated, the project takes into account the need of giving a solution to the accessibility of the forum and the spaces of the ancient roman town, recognizing the urban logic of the cardus i decumanus in footbridges, stairs and ramps made in wood. 

Wooden ramps, stairs and footbridges

Through those elements, placed securind the minimum impact and consolidating and restoring the most significant elements of the forum, the atmosphere's recreation is strenghten showing how the spaces were though platforms, elevated spaces, paths and walking itineraries. The materiales and constructive techniques search the balance and relation between original ruins and new interventions, avoiding mimicry and false reproductions. 

Detail of the skylight

VESSUNA GALLO-ROMAN MUSEUM, 2003. Jean Nouvel

Nouvel has enclosed the extensive ruin in glass, supported by thin steel columns. The tall lightweight roof, calculated geometrically from the plan of the house, has deep overhangs to keep the sun. Nature and views of the surrounding town, visible through the trees or reflected on the glass walls, add to the magic of the building. 

Exterior of the building

A small 18th-century house next to the ruin, once the workplace of the first archaeologist to work on the excavations of Roman Périgueux, has been restored by Nouvel.

Workplace of the first archaeologist

Inside the museum the structural elements are lightweight steel with a series of raised wooden walkways, around and above the remains that guide visitors though the house describing the daily lives of its occupants. 

Interior of the museum

The house was built around a garden courtyard bordered by a peristyle colonnade. Nouvel has drawn a full-scale mirrored plan of the ceiling, extending beyond the glass walls, to make the layout of the villa understandable.  

ANALYSIS OF THE PLOT

ANALYSIS OF THE PLOT

The plot we are working with is placed in Medellín. Medellin is a Spanish town located in Extremadura, in the south-west of Spain. It was founded by the Romans, and the city were Hernan Cortés was born. Despite of the war damages, Medellin still maintains an important monumental heritage. Its most important monuments are the medieval castle and a XVI century bridge over the river Guadiana. Recently it has been discovered the ruins of a roman theatre, which is conserved in good conditions. The plot is located between all those monuments, in the slope a hill, being strongly influenced by them. The project will have to figure out to develop the program in such a limited place. 

Views of Medellín

We face then a really unique place, with strong restrictions and great value from a historical, architectural, artistic and natural  standpoint. We will have to take this elements into account. Several works of reconstruction, rehabilitation, excavations, reconditioning of the ways, etc has already been done. We will try to keep the line already started in that way.

Views of the plot

Talking about materials we currently find in the place, we can talk about stone in walls and paths, soil in the floor that has not been treated, corten-steel in the path's walls to the castle, ancient stone in the ruins... The site was a likely arid place, even though it is important to take into account the olive trees, a typical tree of Extremadura.

Materials in the plot

Video of the plot