05 Fruit and Flower Market - Madrid

Final Degree Project - Universidad de Navarra Master’s Degree in Architecture

Location: Madrid, Spain Awards: Terminus 21, given to the top fi nal degree projects in the 2020-2021 Master’s Degree in Architecture promotion of the University of Navarra. Descripton:The project is located in an emblematic and unique area within the city of Madrid, the “Jardines de Las Vistillas”. These gardens stand out for their height above the rest of Madrid, forming dazzling views of its urban panorama. Originally an area for social encounters and commerce an area that used to be magical has lost its splendor due to the lack of maintenance and some not very successful urban interventions. The paved plazas of “Las Vistillas” are currently very segmented and separated from the publicly inhabited areas, generating spaces with little visibility and consequently poor accessibility and security. Ironically, the most important component of the “Jardines de Las Visitillas”, the gardens, lacks any entrance and is completely closed off to the public.

The main objective of the project is to recover the splendor of these forgotten gardens and attain the magic they once had. Incorporating a fruit and fl ower market, the goal is to rehabilitate “Las Vistillas” giving it a new daily use. The intervention focuses mainly on two aspects, the urban and environmental aspect. The project consists of a large covered walkway open to the outside that becomes an extension of the natural landscape of “Las Vistillas” through its architectural dialogue. This walkway becomes a large viewpoint that provides spectacular views of the Almudena Cathedral located to the north of the project´s plot. The repeating gable roof module is designed as a hyperboloid in order to accentuate the views generated below it, increasing the peak´s height as it approaches the Almudena Cathedral. Beneath the modular roof is located the fl ower and fruit market stalls. These stalls are designed as modular containers that are removable, giving the project a certain fl exibility in the uses it can house. These same containers are also designed to be visually permeable in order to avoid obstructing the scenic views “Las Vistillas” has to off er.