La Encarnación Square Urgan design, Museum and Market

In 2004 EMVISESA launched an architectural competition to design an urban square, museum and market in the centre of Seville.

At MEDIOMUNDO arquitectos we decided to consider the Plaza de la Encarnación as the very heart of the city giving life to the various organs, systems and members that compose it. But we also wanted it to become its brain, a space in which to manifest the intelligent city and from which to stimilate, promote and integrate its values collectively. We created a project that would convert the Plaza de la Encarnación into a space providing patrimony, connectivity, scale and open space to the city. By creating a permanent open space the project would make possible the generation of a unique identity that would stimulate, promote and integrate the values of the intelligent city.

We define immaterial production of the city as the essence of relations and communications that generate the city. In this project we proposed the creation of a space that acts as a stage so that immaterial production of the city can take place.

We conceived our intervention as a re-information of the space. We could see that the recovery of the square, the creation of a subway station and the new uses of the adjacent buildings were all going to generate a new significance for the space on both a local and metropolitan level.

Recovering and highlighting the importance of the citys heritage meant working on different time scales, with the processes of appropriation and the construction of a new patrimony for the future. We proposed building a new square, luminous and full of life, floating above the excavated substratum. This layer would house a huge public area. This layered construction would contain spaces for specific uses and other more generic spaces awaiting a panorama of possible future uses.

In our project the main structure incorporates laylight that filters light from outside into the other stratas in order to provide natural lighing within and views of the excavations from above. Other openings allow access to the market and museum. The main floor allows access to the new subway station and on the other side there is a loading and unloading area for merchandise.

At MEDIOMUNDO arquitectos we believe that every urban design project generates added value to the city. These projects shouldnt only have a positive impact on those directly affected. Their positive effect should be shared amongst all citizens of any given community.

Programme: Square Urban Design, Museum and Market
Location: Seville
Date of competition: 2004
Category: Public Space, Market and Museum
Area: 16,500 m2
Developer: EMVISESA (Empresa Municipal de la Vivienda de Sevilla part of Seville City Council)