The challenge is to give new structure and identity to the site and connect its varied functions, so that the historic center of Vila Viçosa no longer represents the only focus for social
interactions. Moreover, North-South connections in the area are difficult because of the presence of extended land tenures. Re-establishing a human size street network is vital and represents our
first line of reflection.Europan site is located at the southern entrance of Vila Viçosa, along «EN245” road, direct link to marble quarries and to historic centre. It’s a strategic but unwelcoming site, due to
the presence of obsolete and abandoned industrial units. This is why we believe that integrating processing factories to social attractive urban spacesis vital, and is the challenge we set for this project.
North/South connection: creating a hierarchic urban street network
Historic centre as a reference
Historic town developed on the basis of two directions. The thoroughfare frames the castle; whether urban structure, views, institutional buildings, itineraries, every element converges towards this vanishing point. The castle is the backdrop of public and social activities of
the town growing along the major road. Beyond this artery, the streets perpendicular to it feature a dense and narrow medieval urban fabric, where housing are adjoining and low-rise, maximum 2 levels. Here, the domestic scale predominates, human relations run across street and neighborhood. So that a gradation of social relationships depending on the location can be remarked. On the one side, the staging of institutions along symbolic public places, on the other side, human size streets and neighborhood life. Connections across the city run from West to East along the main institutional axis and from North to South through neighborhood life.
We aim to apply dimension and relation variety to the project area, seeking to establish a differentiation between public and semi-private scale in neighborhood. This, in order to avoid creating compaiano in quel puntonewcompany towns, places devoid of daylife activities, as is the residential
area on the South.
Recreating urban pedestrian path associated with existing itineraries
The transition from industrial units to residential area is currently a sudden and abrupt
change. From large hangars to town house, from vast land tenures to nappe pavillionnaire
(to trees binding in the rural universe). Our proposal envisions to bring together these very
distinct dimensions, both by formal and use point of view, integrating industrial buildings
and rural area to existing urban structure.So, in order to create a hierarchy in transfer network and social exchanges, the proposal adds a North-South oriented new urban street network to the East-West oriented existing one. The new human scale network will connect residential area set on South of Nacionale Estrada to schools, sport, cultural and religious facilities.
The project recreates an urban fabric opening new porosities through vast areas and land tenure. New network will connect North to South with new possible paths.
Creating a city entrance: staging of marble and new identity of the town
Reversing the vanishing point currently focused on the castle. Until today, the castle and the historic district were the point the entire town converged towards. Through our project, we aim to establish a kind of inversion of this focus, givingthe site a new dynamic impulse. While the thoroughfare of the city has the castle as a backdrop, the new entrance becomes the view from the castle. A kind of visual dialogue
between past and future has been created: the historic town facing the activity area, through a connection along Vila Viçosa main route.
Creating an attractive place for stone trading and cultural activities
The new entrance to the town will be an attractive public square surrounded by activities related to marble. Reusing and renovating of the existing buildings will be in balance with new interventions.
Craft district: our proposal envisions the creation of a marble craft district, a showcase for the expertise in manufacturing (cutting, sculpture, processing) and a place for raw material and products trading. The district will be located on the area in line with the disused railway. Architectural language of new buildings will take inspiration from the scale of the old ones in southern area, and set randomly isolated as marble blocks in the courtyard of an operating processing unit. The vacuum space between buildings will accommodate terrace coffee shops, providing Vila Viçosa with new public lively spaces, available for cultural and sport events. The site will also be the setting for affordable new accommodation models.
Public square: set at the centre of the site, the public square will be crossed by Nacionale Estrada and will create the fi rst part of the sequence getting to downtown. Furthermore, it will govern movement of people through public equipment around the area, integrating several transitions. An urban transition, being the entrance to the town and therefore the place of arrival and exit transit. Located along the historic artery, this place meets the castle on the opposite while revaluing the city entrance. As a real gathering place, it will accommodate various temporary events and exhibitions of student’s work. The square will arrange the transition towards agricultural lands and olive tree plantations,
too. The proposal envisions to extend the olive tree until the area, maintaining its regular North-South oriented pattern. Therefore, greenery will be an integral part of the project,
creating a gradual transition from urban fabric to countryside, and will accompany pedestrian along new paths connecting different zones as in the city centre.
The landscape park: "a stone museum among the trees". The olive plantation, part of the strategic site, will keep its feature and become the extraordinary setting for a marble open air museum, so that visitors will be able to learn marble history and manufacturing while walking among the trees.Graphic signage and equipment will create a common language between square and park; signage elements, seats, cycle racks will have a common style and will all be made of same material, namely the marble produced on site.
Rehabilitation of existing hangars: Obsolete and abandoned industrial units (overlooking a courtyard directly connected to the main road) will be kept, rehabilitated and converted into schools and workshops, providing
Vila Viçosa with a training centre linked to stone manufacturing and giving a new value to manual work. The training centre will host sculptors, designers, stonemason, and
all professions in marble manufacturing fi eld, and it will be an active part of craft district, connected with quarries.
Marbrito pavilion will become part of the district, too, while keeping its production role. Its facades overlooking the square will be the backdrop for cultural events, such as movie projections or frescoes wall-paintings.
