| An
elegant solution on a difficult site, Siza's new building for the
college rector turns a blank face to the main campus and creates
a rich new space within. The structure carefully takes account of
and controls the hot, bright Mediterranean sun. It is long and low,
an elongated H-shape in plan that rises no higher than two storeys.
Two courtyards of dramatically different proportions are created
inside, wrapped with colonnaded walkways providing cool external
circulation space. In the bar that joins the two legs of the H is
a reception area with a double-height, semicircular opening bringing
soft light into the space. Behind this, extending out into the smaller,
more formal courtyard is a semicircular auditorium. The main entrance
at the end of the long courtyard is set at right angles to it, so
that the internal space is not seen until it has been entered. Like
every other aspect of the building's design, the palette of materials
- stucco, stone, marble. tile and wood - is serene and spare, and
chosen for climatic comfort. Siza's design reinterprets the traditional
Moorish courtyard building, a structure with a hard and almost impenetrable
exterior that encloses and protects a soft and vibrant internal
open space.
1 A broad colonnaded courtyard runs down the centre of the plan
 |
2 An aerial view reveals the careful layering of rectilinear volumes
3 The external facades are largely blank
4 Section
5 Floor plan
Client
University of Alicante
Area
7,500m2/80,700 sq ft
Cost
Confidential
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