| Eduard Massip Marín
| 2012 | PFC | ETSAB (Barcelona)
| Profesores: Jordi Garcés, Enric serra, Agustí Obiols
/texto en castellano al final de la entrada/
The fact of a neglected Heritage building (Casa Foixà XIV cent.) and its restoration to become a library, gave the opportunity for a complete urban development in Tarragona’s old town with the creation of new public spaces and the conclusion of the quarter.
The intervention begins with the extension of the historical building by the addition of two new volumes, that is to say, two boxes to include the entire program.
On one hand, an outstretched building is placed in an empty plot, completes the block in that side and becomes the entry of the library from the streets Cavallers and Mediona. This access is made through a patio that breathes the collapsed neighbourhood at this point. The walls of an abandoned warehouse are preserved in order to keep this space both public and protected.
On the other hand, a second volume is placed at the other side of the Historical palace. Keeping the facade of the previous house, the new building faces a new public space on the other side. In the quarter of the intervention there is an abandoned high – patio: a disused garden disconnected from the city. The proposal creates an access to this patio: from the little square d’En Ripoll, the opening of a walled arch empowers the pedestrians to get through a staircase ramp and conquer this new public space, the Library’s square, with an entrance to it’s first floor. The project also foresees an access to this square from the street Cavallers.
The original building is mostly preserved: The interior Renaissance patio and its staircase become the main pieces in which the library spins around. It’s a path through both historical and contemporary architecture.
In the ground floor we find the conference and expositions room, the newspaper and magazines area, the media, and the archive (with it’s private entrance). In the other ones there is the children area, the student rooms, lecture rooms and stacks. Finally, in the last floor – the garret – is placed the workers office. The new vertical core, a tower that emerges from the set, connects all this floors and establishes a dialogue with the historical one, converted now in a light well.
Since it is a library project, one of the main targets is getting the proper light. In this building we find multiple ways to find northern light, diffused and white, the best one for the lecture. Light wells and skylights with their sun protection are some of the used mechanisms.
The structure is metallic (due to the big beams and the need to work with detachable materials because of the narrow streets) and in facade there is a stone plinth with white-coated walls to have a beautiful contrast with the ancient ochre stonewalls of Tarragona.
/texto en castellano/
El proyecto de rehabilitación de la Casa Foixà (S.XIV) en la Parte Alta de Tarragona se convierte en un proyecto urbano con la creación de nuevos espacios públicos y la consolidación de la manzana donde se encuentra.
La intervención comienza con la ampliación del edificio histórico, adjuntando dos volúmenes para acomodar todo el programa. El acceso desde las calles Caballers y Mediona se hace a través de un patio que, esponjando el barrio en este punto, conserva los muros y los arcos del almacén existente.
En la manzana donde trabajamos hay un patio en una cota superior, un jardín romántico como los que podemos encontrar en los Cascos Antiguos de las ciudades, que se encuentra en desuso y desconectado de la ciudad. En la plaza d’en Ripoll, al norte, un acceso abriendo un arco tapiado, conectará el barrio con este nuevo espacio público, la plaza de la biblioteca. El proyecto, además, prevé un acceso a esta plaza desde la calle Caballers.
El edificio original se intenta conservar al máximo: Dispone de una escalera y patio renacentista, que se convierten las piezas alrededor de las cuales gira la biblioteca. En planta baja diarios y revistas, música y cine, y en las plantas superiores salas de lectura del fondo general. De los nuevos volúmenes, el superior contiene la sala polivalente y dos salas de lectura, y el inferior el archivo y el fondo infantil, haciendo fachada a la plaza. Por último, la creación de una torre que contiene el nuevo núcleo de comunicaciones vertical, establece un diálogo con la torre del edificio histórico.
