Central Square María Hervás
This square stands as a 21st-century climate refuge for the city — a living, adaptable space that responds to both the needs of people and the conditions of its environment.
Winner of the 2021 ideas competition in Dénia, the project originates from an innovative decision by the City Council: to relinquish a high-value buildable site on the city’s main street in order to create a strategically positioned public space at its most vibrant and dynamic point. Within just 1,300 square meters, the design manages to accommodate a wide range of urban programs, transforming a compact site into a flexible civic landscape.
The square is conceived as a concentric composition, articulated by two pergolas of distinct character that define spaces of varying scales. A green, peripheral pergola gathers intimate, cool, shaded areas lush with vegetation, while a central, terracotta pergola establishes an infrastructural, performative, and collective heart — a space open to multiple forms of activity and encounter.
Beneath the tectonic presence of the pergolas unfolds a sculpted ground plane, shaped and carved to form benches, play areas, and a small stage at one end. The earthy materiality of this layer evokes the memory of the place — the weight of the castle’s stone, the texture of clay pavers, and the warm tones of their glazed surfaces.
The green pergola, delicate yet diverse, creates a continuous shaded threshold of varying depth that welcomes visitors into the square. Formed through the interlacing of fragments from other pergolas, it is designed to merge over time with vines and trees — Mediterranean species suited to a temperate climate, requiring minimal water and maintenance. Light, shade, and freshness combine around smaller-scale elements, composing a mosaic of domestic spaces within the urban fabric.
In contrast, the orange pergola asserts a stronger presence. With its structural framework of bars, it defines a void charged with collective potential, at once artificial and electrified. Motorized awnings provide solar control, while integrated lighting and sound systems support public events. Power outlets line the perimeter, enabling a broad spectrum of uses and community activities.
Credits
Client: City Council of Denia | Authors: José de Villar, Carlos Chacón (DVCH DeVillarCHacon). Co-authors: ROMA arquitectura | Collaborators: Vicente Montañana (Technical Architect), David López (MEP Engineer), Mecanismo (Structural Engineering), Porticada (Construction Company) | Collaborators: Sofia Tendera (Architect)
