Protection of the Archaeological Excavation in the Patio de Banderas
After the archaeological excavation campaigns carried out from 2009 to 2013 (Tabales), the Real Alcázar Trust decides to protect and cover the excavated area – of approximately 700 m2 – to return the Patio de Banderas to its prior state, until research is resumed and the value of the complete archaeological site is enhanced.
The designed architectural solution has allowed to adequate an area underground of approximately 130 m2 located on the southerly strip of the site, including a restricted access for its maintenance, conservation and research.
The visible archaeological remains are mainly structures that belong to a building from the late-republican roman age (60-30 b.C.) as well as an outline located under a large Islamic layer that shows the transformation sequence of the urban space in Seville from the I b.C. century until the XI century a.D. These are located at a depth of approximately 5 meters, taking as a reference the level of the Square, and are composed of different rooms and an area with columns that limits its meridional façade. The arcade is built with tiled columns plastered with lime mortar, from which, some of them are conserved up to two meters. The rooms were built with walls of opus africanum and the flooring of opus signinum.
The structural system is built with a simple constructive procedure and can be easily removed. The land-containment on the perimeter is carried out with reinforced masonry walls composed of hollow concrete blocks that follow a broken axle, thus improving the resistance to the horizontal thrust. It simply lays on the ground of the site through superficial foundation slabs, supplemented with elements that guarantee an even and homogeneous distribution of the loads. During the construction period, throughout the covered area, as well as in the perimeter of the crypt, special care has been taken to avoid any contact between the new materials (mortars, blocks, concrete, etc.) and the original remains.
Regarding the Patio de Banderas, the project recovers its state prior to the excavations according to the starting premises, restoring the two pre-existing street lamps and the involved trees. As the only visible difference, between the rows of orange trees on the eastern strip, appears the clipping for the access gap to the crypt, protected by a foldable metal grille that allows natural ventilation.
