Balsapintada Cultural Center
The rehabilitation of the Balsapintada Cultural Center, framed within the PIREP Plan and aligned with the principles of the New European Bauhaus, is an initiative promoted by the Fuente Álamo de Murcia City Council that enables the recovery of an existing building as the municipality’s new civic heart. In a community of 1.719 inhabitants, the project not only upgrades the facility itself, but also revitalizes the adjacent square and connected outdoor spaces, consolidating them as the main setting for social and cultural gathering. Through a participatory process, a clear goal was defined: to make the building more accessible, open, and active, ensuring year-round use through cultural, recreational, and community activities.
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One of the facility’s main strengths is its location facing one of the town’s principal squares, a space with a strong civic character that functions as a point of meeting and social cohesion. This condition reinforces the building’s central role in everyday life and supports its integration into the town’s urban dynamics.
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The project prioritizes the reuse of existing infrastructure, maintaining the structure and the building’s main elements. This strategy preserves its architectural identity whileincorporating technical upgrades to ensure appropriate thermal performance. By adding insulation and renewing elements of the envelope, energy efficiency is improved without compromising functionality or the final appearance of the complex.
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The intervention also addresses the improvement of the exterior image, as the original facade had an aged appearance that did not reflect the center’s active social value. To this end, the envelope is transformed with metal cladding into blue-green tones with red accents, renewing the building’s identity and strengthening its presence as an urban landmark. This new skin unifies the three blocks built in different phases, integrating them both formally and functionally. Compositionally, the ensemble is harmonized through the continuity of the plinth and the roofline, together with a coherent color palette that reinforces the reading of a single, unified facility.
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In parallel, the project updates the building to meet current regulatory requirements, improving the quality of interior finishes and its energy performance. The envelope intervention not only enhances the building’s appearance but also optimizes its bioclimatic behavior: perforated metal screens filter natural light and protect from direct solar exposure, reducing energy demand. Inside, spaces are reorganized with flexibility in mind, incorporating movable partitions that allow the main hall to be used simultaneously for different activities. The building’s digitalization is also completed, through access control and energy management, turning it into a contemporary facility, NZEB (nearly zero-energy building), accessible and deeply human. The use of natural light, vegetation, and natural materials reinforces a sense of well-being, aligning the project with health- and comfort-centered design standards.
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The new facade also helps improve outdoor comfort. The metal cladding acts as solar protection, casting shadows onto the square and creating more habitable spaces for everyday community use. This strategy strengthens the relationship between building and public space, expanding opportunities for meeting and lingering outdoors.
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As the building is single-store, access and internal circulation are organized to facilitate the independence and simultaneity of different uses, with multipurpose spaces that can adapt to a wide range of activities. This layout promotes accessibility and safety for all users, from children to older people, avoiding interference between activities and encouraging interaction in a comfortable, flexible environment.
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Inside, new multipurpose rooms with movable partitions, offices, and spaces that enable a more fluid relationship with the outdoors through new exits are introduced. The project keeps the seniors’ association in its original location, integrating it more harmoniously thanks to improved internal circulation. This enhancement strengthens connections between spaces and supports the simultaneous use of different areas, facilitating coexistence and access for all users.
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The Cultural Center is a clear example of adaptive reuse. Instead of demolishing and rebuilding, the existing structure, its urban footprint, and its symbolic value have been preserved and upgraded through criteria of sustainability, efficiency, and resilience. This approach reduces the environmental impact associated with new construction, extends the building’s useful life, and demonstrates how an obsolete facility can be transformed into a new center of social gravity.
