Santa María de los Reyes Convent, Seville, Spain

Competition 2004. Finalist

In line with the traditional architecture of this city and with the aim to fit in the block ensemble, the design forms a passage framing the sky and the shadows. Its width and height are variable, conceived as a narrative sequence of the interior space. It is a new volume and its occupation of space is developed in the same way as the remaining significant buildings within the ensemble.

It follows the principles of light and structure; as architecture with pretensions to permanency and timelessness does. Wells cross the building vertically and so light is reflected on the structure. Indiscreet stares at the latter are provoked by some small windows, as it happens with convents in Seville or houses in El Cairo. In the northern part, a patio covered occasionally by a canopy and bougainvillea acts as backdrop. The murmur of an indoor pond contributes to the creation of a calm atmosphere, typical of spaces for studying and reading.

Author: José Ignacio Linazasoro
Collaborators: Ricardo Sánchez González, Hugo Sebastián de Erice