Centro de Recepción de Visitantes de Colonia Clunia Sulpicia
The intervention is conceived, first and foremost, as a reading of the topography, in the same way that the location of Roman Clunia itself was once chosen on the Alto de Castro. The structure of the territory establishes the landscape and architectural values that the project seeks to reinforce. Architecture becomes part of a landscape dominated by Peña Sobaños, to which it is subordinated and from which it draws its spatial arguments.
In order to integrate the new building into the landscape, the vegetated surface of the hillside is extended over the roof of the Visitor Reception Centre (VRC), which houses the site museum within. This roof–belvedere, which reflects the internal structure of the building, can be used for outdoor activities and as an archaeological garden. The VRC rests on the path that connects the pre-existing archaeologists’ buildings with the Roman Theatre of Clunia, and takes advantage of the visibility of the rock formation from a distance to position itself within the landscape and guide visitors approaching Clunia.
The aim is to transform the sequence of arrival, reception, and initiation of the visit into a territorial, landscape, and architectural device. From afar, the building is perceived as a topographic platform: a geometrised exception within the natural slope of the landscape, integrated, accessible, and appropriable. Inside, it is experienced as a space emerging from the earth, a cave or shelter that symbolically engages in dialogue with the underground water system that once supplied the Roman city.
In addition to pursuing ecological continuity with the hillside and the river plains of the Argandilla and Dor, the building resolves its connection to the archaeological area by positioning itself at an appropriate elevation, facilitating the visitor’s ascent along a gently sloping path toward the Roman Theatre, the first major landmark in the visit to the ancient city.
The landscaped roof enhances the building’s bioclimatic performance and, thanks to the depth of the vegetated substrate, allows the surrounding herbaceous species to colonise it naturally.
The new VRC minimises environmental impact on the archaeological area while generating harmony with its natural surroundings. From the external management of construction waste to the reduction of operational and embodied carbon, the design applies a range of sustainable practices and aligns with the long-term international sustainability objectives established by COP30. The goal has been to achieve high energy efficiency (A rating), together with the reduction and compensation of carbon impacts, and a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) consistent with the architectural characteristics of the project.
