An ancient watchtower in the town of Huercal-Overa, Spain was recently renewed by the office Miras Castillo Arquitectos. With a rustic and sustainable operation, have managed to restore the accessibility of the site through the design of a cut steel staircase that takes visitors to the original stone tower, joining her for a glass bridge.
This intervention, modest and risky at the same time designed to show the timelessness of traditional forms, made by anonymous builders and craftsmen, in contrast to the lightweight nature, evanescent and degradable contemporary.
The main objectives of the project have been accessible to the tower and restore the original building. The criteria are to preserve the original materials where possible, eliminating the resurgence additions to the original elements.
Given the archaeological importance of the place, new elements are designed to be implanted as removable objects, placed directly on the ground without foundation and designed with materials that contrast with those originally used in the construction of the tower. Instead of rebuilding, the project emphasizes the new elements to highlight the missing original.
It uses the existing topography to minimize soil disturbance. The park is situated on a plateau exists. The customer service office is located in a monolithic steel house cut. As a shipping container, said its temporary and reversible.
To recover the original access to the tower, has designed a steel staircase cut. It is a lightweight metal object, which contrasts with the materiality of the original construction. Faced with the strength of the rectangular tower, the staircase is a circular element of an interim nature and rusty.
