2017 / VEILED WEST – PERIURBAN Park | Vejer de la Frontera, Spain / A – Ideas
The project of Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz, Spain) had the aim to seek viable solutions to one of the main problems facing traditional urban centers: how to grow without losing the essence of character. In this case, proposals would aim to give an architectural and landscape solution to the totality of the western edge of Vejer’s urban ensemble.
The analyses of the project area brought up some revealing elements of Vejer de la Frontera. Vejer has two main characteristics: The windmills, present in the project area and also on the eastern side of the city and second: La Cobijada or the veiled women of Vejer which can still be found as a statue in the town. This analyses was the base for the design strategy.
The concept is based on the Cobijada or the Veiled women of Vejer. The windmills represent the eye of the women, while the pathways and greenery surrounds the womens face and body, the builded areas which are mixed uses, represent the body of the cobijada where everything functions in coherence with each other.
The windmill areas are given the highest quality solution by opening them to their surroundings. The extensive, flowering grass field flow into the higher greenery, fading the pathways and hard, built surfaces away… All this is integrated in the periurban park that has a large swathe of open spaces articulating the transaction between the urban boundary and the project site.
The houses are placed as to give a typical identity to the area by creating communal patios which also has high, positive impact on the community. The street is made green to give a more qualitative and sustainable impression when entering in the city as well as to give a more in captured, veiled feeling in the residential zone. The social housing is developed as apartments which are on the first floor accessible for disabled people. All housing development is combined with tertiary usage for a good community coherence. The tertiary buildings around the water tanks embrace and blend them in the urban fabric. From the new 360-degree mirador all 4 windmills become visible. In the north of the project area, the development of the hotel and housing is done with deep vision including a go-through underground parking.
All the windmills got a new function, from south to north, a small museum, full functioning windmill in the open green space, near the water tank as small shop for windmill-made product and Vejer-gadjets and last but not least, the fully translated Cobijada eye as an open viewpoint to its surroundings.
