Ferrer Arquitectos

Project and Construction Management of the “Moisés Ruiz” Pavilion (Almería) 2002

1st Prize in Competition.

The building, of almost 6,000 m2, responds to a complex program that incorporates sports and administrative use, generated from three fundamental principles that were already present in the initial ideas of the competition:

  • First, it had to be a versatile building that would host the greatest number of sports uses, especially the rhythmic gymnastics and fencing competitions of the XXV Mediterranean Games, Almería 2005.
  • Second, we wanted it to contribute to consolidating the urban space where it would be located, creating a powerful and contemporary urban image that integrates into the environment.
  • Third, we wanted to respect the existing palm grove and integrate it into our proposal. Thus, the building is set back to leave space for the location of the palm trees. In this way, the existing image of the palm grove is maintained but integrated into the new building.

The result has been a large, compact, and rational volume containing the sports space and administrative uses and some exterior volumes, which embrace the former and soften the pavilion’s encounter with urban space. We were concerned about the large dimensions of the main volume, 60 x 50 x 16 m, and its encounter with urban space. As a result, these exterior pieces, to which we referred earlier, arise, with a longitudinal development functioning as a large base that provides the necessary scale to the entire complex. After all, architecture is almost always a problem of encounters and measurements, and this case is no different. The large box is developed on three L-shaped floors, from which the central track of 51 x 32 m can be seen, with a capacity of 1750 people. The ground floor houses the changing rooms, warm-up track, and multipurpose room. The first floor is intended for administrative use. The second floor is reserved for another multipurpose room (VIP room, archives, …) and the installation of a bar-cafeteria with excellent views of the city and the possibility of using an outdoor terrace. All spaces are perfectly connected and easily accessible through the numerous ramps and connections between them.

Architectural routes, both indoor and outdoor, have been emphasized in the belief that they will help the visitor and user quickly acquire a complete understanding of the entire complex. Lastly, we would like to highlight the prominence that zenithal light acquires throughout the entire project, qualifying the interior spaces, which together with the different cross views give the whole a fluid atmosphere that accentuates the building’s character.

TECHNICAL DATA