Neanderthal Arts Center, Piloña, Asturias, Spain

Competition 2010

The strong environmental impact that a large volume would represent is avoided integrating the building presence without compromising a clear geometry that would serve as reference in the landscape. An artificial hill is created, a landmark in the surrounding territory, in the interior of which the building would be located, a building that would slightly emerge from it. A reference would be the “hórreo” (raised granary), vernacular architecture that characterizes the Asturian landscape. Built in two levels, the top level is a light construction overlapping the bottom level that is part of the ground. In our case, the overlapped levels, would evoke the memories from two periods: the bottom level, connected to the ground, the Paleolithic period and the top level, light, the contemporary period.

As if it were a construction built on an empty excavation, evoking a cavern, the top level “floats” over it as a covering made in a posterior time. At the bottom level, the strong textured walls with curved geometry express their condition as a cavern or excavation. The exhibitions areas would be located inside. The top level, supported by large edge truss, is conceived through a geometry that is pure, light and transparent through which one can gaze upon the surrounding landscape.

Authors: Linazasoro&Sánchez Arquitectura
Collaborators: Hugo Sebastián de Erice, Sergi Artola