EL ANDÉN
The project is located on the northern edge of the urban area of Rota, at the point of contact with the naval base and the San Antonio neighbourhood, precisely where, until the 1980s, the railway infrastructure serving the so-called “coast train” once stood. Traces of that former use remain in the large open space and in the building that is the subject of this intervention, which had been adapted for use by the municipal band as a rehearsal venue and music school.
The intervention, promoted by the City Council of Rota, provides the city with a more complete public facility through the renovation and extension of the existing building. Now called El Andén (“The Platform”), the building continues to function as a music school and headquarters of the municipal band, while also opening up to new activities as a neighbourhood space.
The starting point of the proposal is to consider the remaining spaces of the railway trace as a structure of open space, marking a connection between the city and the territory. The project is framed as part of this structure. The first question to resolve was how, in an open and undefined space, to propose the extension of the existing building. Rather than pursuing other possible options, we proposed doing so by following the railway trace and by treating the building and the platform as a whole. These pre-existing elements are regarded as witnesses to the memory of the city’s lost railway infrastructure. Although they hold no formal heritage listing, the proposal reflects on the value of these lost landscapes and is developed from parameters similar to those used in the conservation of heritage assets.
At a more detailed level, the existing building is characterized by an interior vaulted construction system that gives it a singular spatial quality. In Rota, the use of vaults can also be found in agricultural outbuildings that characterize the surrounding rural landscape, in historic houses along Calle Calvario, and even in military constructions within the naval base. This is something that strongly caught our attention and that we decided to emphasize.
The extension, which begins from the pre-existing building-and-platform ensemble, reinforces the whole, follows the railway trace, and incorporates the level of the former loading dock. It is developed on a single floor and takes the vault as the key element both in shaping the new spaces and in giving the new civic centre a recognizable image. The requested program essentially called for multifunctional classrooms that could be used by both the music band and local neighbourhood associations. The rooms are arranged in a linear sequence. In continuity with the entrance hall, a linear corridor is added, gradually widening to accommodate small spaces for meeting and informal conversation.
The formal solution relates to the existing building through repetition, rhythm, and variation of elements. The vault of the original building also generates the space of each new classroom, which in the extension are built in concrete and made visible on the exterior. The arches, present in the façade of the existing building, are reinterpreted to shape the openings and façades. The original building is cleared out, giving it greater transparency and allowing it to be used for activities with larger audiences. The entire architecture is resolved in white, characteristic of Cádiz. Particular attention is given to light, which is intense due to Rota’s southern Atlantic location. South-facing openings are therefore reduced, while on the north side the natural light entering each classroom through the façade is complemented by overhead lighting. The enclosed character of the building, together with measures such as cross ventilation, improves climatic performance and energy efficiency.
Deliberately, the building seeks to offer a recognizable identity. Through the singular vision of its linearity, its vaults, and its arches—between memory and projection—it presents itself as a civic building: a common good.
The proposal will be completed with the redevelopment of the preceding open space, for which the project has already been prepared, further reinforcing the idea of the landscape structure linking city and territory.
