Civic And Cultural Centre In The Old San Andrés De Rabanedo Factory ( León ).
Restricted Tender. Second prize
The Arau factory was built in brick and coffer-work in a style reminiscent of British industrial architecture. It comprised two buildings perpendicular to each other, separated by a low connecting block added in later, and set off by a long single-storey shed running parallel to the Santiago Way. To the east was the original office and dwelling area, whose façade included an interesting gallery that had been very poorly conserved.
The new design respected the façades and volumes of three of the four buildings, substituting the lowest-quality, smallest one with a new double-glazed building that provides a lobby connecting the library with the exhibition area, while creating a welcoming entrance space for cultural activities.
We move the entrance to the remodelled complex onto the rear street, where we designed a new pavilion for a conference hall. The diachronic contrast of old with new creates an access plaza leading into the cultural area and a patio from which the original architecture of the back façade of the low exhibition building can be appreciated. We conserve the continuity between the interior spaces of the central modules, adapted for use as exhibition rooms. Natural light is introduced by inserting skylights into the roof to save energy and improve the quality of colour in exhibitions within the lit rooms.
We add a new vertical block to the east. Adding height and volume, it also provides natural lighting for the stairs to the exhibition rooms. It can become an urban landmark, flagging the presence of a new cultural building.
A fundamental part of the project for opening a civic centre in the city was the creation of a new urban space that acts as an antechamber for the building and a meeting point for visitors. We have kept the original door for access to the complex as the entrance to the tourist office and as an emergency exit for the building. We added a separate access for the public library and the exhibition rooms.
The façades of the new pavilion are designed to look quite different from the original building. They are finished in grooved concrete. The new conference hall adds essential value to the building, creating a interesting, elongated plaza providing access space.
Visitors are ushered into this space via a new glazed lobby that gives spatial and visual continuity between the external spaces created. From here, visitors coming to events when the centre is closed at night-time can gain direct access to the conference hall.