Construction of the Plaza Balda, Azkoitia, Basque Country, Spain

Project 1982-1999

This project was restarted after many years of diverse experiences, including prgress and interruptions, yet it maintains the validity of its starting points: a vast main square that consolidates the link between city and countryside, turning the latter and its adjoining buildings -Balda House- into the background view of the new scenery.

The square is portrayed as a watchtower offering many different viewpoints from the inside and to the outside. The project is a search for timelessness, such as Chirico’s empty squares, a tribute to the old minimalist Basque pelota courts, which are soon to disappear. It is a conversation between the great familiar towers and a wall through the empty space. Materials and textures are its key elements.
 

Author: José Ignacio Linazasoro
Collaborator: J. Puldain