Ferreries Cultural Centre | Arquitecturia

The old local market of Ferreries, after falling into disuse for several years, has been restored and extended to become the new Cultural Center of this neighborhood. The main old nave of Ferreries market it’s preserved and through its extension a new transition space is generated in order to enable the connection between the existing building and Joan Monclús square; furthermore, the elevation that defines this public space is completed. The old nave gets involved to the public space intertwining its interior to the exterior through a new access. The Joan Monclús’ Square intervention solves the access to the existing building in terms of slope, at the same time gives the option to carry out open air activities related to the Cultural Center. An important relation it’s established between the market and its extension, understanding the lines of horizontal composition-cornice and skirting board-, opposing the height of the new facade, contrasting the white interior of the nave, of blended and homogeneous light, of acoustics muffled by wood strips; to a new dark facade, of accentuated shadows by the grooved texture of the material. A dialogue between an introverted space and a public space opened to the whole community of Ferreries’ Neighborhood. Historical Heritage Intervention The popular neighborhood of Ferreries, Cases Barates’, was built during the 60s with local materials and labour, on a flood plain where orange groves and other vegetables used to grow. Like in many other similar neighborhoods, Franco Rule ordered for a market place to be built, this one most comonly known as ‘El Mercadillo’. The first and most important decision was to keep the market building standing. This one was organized around a central double hight space with two gables. It had a precast concerte structure and was ornamented with arabic tiles. The second decision was to determine its use: it would be a Cultural Centre for the humble neighborhood of Ferreries. Urban Intervention The project gave us opportunities we couldn’t miss, not only to rehabilitate the old building and the annexed square, but also to regenerate and revitalize Ferreries’ urban tissue, specially at an urban scale. An open public space and a covered one conceived around the city it used to be, the one it is today, and the future one. For definite a project which springs from opportunities, near and existing, and converts them into realities. Double Scale The will to respond both to urban issues and specific issues about the Cultural Centre leads to a certain duality in our proposal. The former market place transforms into a large polivalent space, where access and ductwork are resolved with an ambulatory on its periphery. The new body defines and anchores the Joan Monclús square, which used to be a residual urban void and now becomes a reference point for the whole city. With these objectives in mind the materials were thoroughly treated, alternating between the overall building scale and the closer tactile detail. Materials Memory, space, light, temperature, materiality, shine, acoustics and color merge into one Architecture project. Light generates and makes the architecture itself, transforming into the central element of the new Cultural Centre: it is filtered at night from the exterior skin of the new building, through its striped, translucent steel tecture that resembles that one of street lighting; whilst during the day it bathes the interior of the old market nave shining through 5x10cm DM white battens, creating a special and unique atmosphere and at the same time a humble and comfortable one.