El Colorado Neighborhood Association

Conil (Cádiz), 2019

A clearing in the pine grove.

A series of interspersed public facilities have gradually emerged in this area where the Roche Pine Grove meets the N-340 road and the commercial strip along it. With the pines dotting the remaining open spaces, the continuity of the forest, which grows denser until it reaches the coast, is still perceptible.

Therefore, in a grove that is in the process of being urbanized, we have conceived an architecture the program of which must serve as a civic attraction for a community that not only needs spaces in which to meet or host activities, but also a symbolic reference to reinforce social ties in this suburban and low density context. 

The building we have designed combines a restrained monumentality with a recognizable everyday quality that balances its presence with its respect, and even glorification, of the pine grove. In a clearing, we insert a white unitary volume that is, at the same time, tall and low, temperate and uninhibited, contained and free, to respond to the required program. The multipurpose hall rises above the ensemble, attached to a lower, continuous plinth, which accommodates the remaining uses. 

The walls are pinched, tensed and curved towards the side that faces the street, as a welcoming gesture that also enriches the quality of the light that filters through the tree canopy and plays with the shadows cast by the pine trees on the building.