• Exterior view of the square of the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Plaza de la Libertad
  • Site plan of the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Site plan
  • Exterior view of the south access of the Civic Center in Pamplona
    South entrance
  • Long section of the square and the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Long section through Plaza de la Libertad
  • Interior view of the central hall of the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Central Hall and public helpdesk
  • Cross section of the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Cross section
  • Interior view of the atrium of the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Atrium in the West Building
  • Upper floor plan of the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Auditorium level floor plan
  • Interior view of the auditorium in the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Auditorium in the East Building
  • East section of the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Long section through East building
  • Interior view of the library in the Civic Center in Pamplona
    Library in the East Building

Civic Center in Pamplona

Pamplona, Spain

This project for a civic center in Pamplona is triggered by the conviction that the monument on Plaza de la Libertad should not be demolished. Our cities are active witnesses of the different stages of our rich history. As such, they should be understood as a superposition of diverse layers representing the imprint of all different regimes, milestones and events in our society. Consequently, we should not aim to erase the historic layers that don’t match our most present values. We should learn from them in the most productive manner in order to serve today’s society as a whole.

This poses the intellectual challenge of how to re-appropriate a monument built during a totalitarian regime, in order to serve the entire collective of a new, united and democratic Pamplona. How should we lay a new historic layer to the historical palimpsest of Plaza de la Libertad?

In response to this dilemma, the project proposes the refurbishment of the complex into a new civic center in Pamplona with cultural and administrative uses. Far from demolishing it, the building is liberated from its totalitarian connotations in order to make it represent the entire collective of the city’s inhabitants.

The project takes advantage of the site’s ideal location between the areas of Segundo Ensanche and Lezkairu in order to generate a new pole of civic activity in the geographic center of the expanding city. Architectural barriers are removed, and a new square is proposed to host all kinds of public initiatives, such as demonstrations, markets, fairs or concerts. This allows for an inclusive and participative way of understanding Pamplona’s public realm.

Location
Pamplona
Spain

Area
36.920 sqm

Client
Pamplona City Hall

Distinctions
Shortlisted
Open competition

PRÁCTICA Team
Jaime Daroca
José Mayoral
José Ramón Sierra
Teresa Celaya
Alonso Rosa
Banika Vijay

Renderings
Martín Azcárate
Kelvin Ho

close-info
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