A world of arches. Hostelry Pavilion of the Miralbueno Sports Club - El Olivar by Magén Arquitectos

Description of project by Magén Arquitectos

The facilities of the sports center have their origin in the purchase of two farms in the 60s, and the order, to the Zaragoza architect José Romero, of a project for two swimming pools and a family park. Subsequently, the existing farmhouse was expanded for use as a summer bar. In 2007, the exchange of land to the west for the expansion of the facilities to the south transformed the situation of this building with respect to the outer perimeter, occupying the center of the new plot, at the crossroads of various interior routes, surrounded by areas green.

Initially, the preliminary project proposed the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing building, given its significance in the history of the center. The subsequent expansion of the needs program, as well as its constructive precariousness, supported the need for a new building, capable of responding adequately, in functional and constructive terms, to the new needs.

As a meeting point for the social life of the center, the project explores the idea of ​​a pavilion surrounded by green areas. The formal proposal materializes the layout of the paths and roads, which draw the movement of the users. Faced with the previous situation, in which the original building was later surrounded by pergolas for the hotel industry, the new building forms an exterior loggia that connects with the different routes, inviting users to pass, and promoting the meeting.

The openings and the unfolding of the concrete walls make up this interstitial space, as a covered exterior room that surrounds the interior spaces, and establishes connections that reactivate the routes of the center. This outdoor loggia allows you to place tables and chairs outdoors under cover, reducing its visual impact. The shape of the openings - and the resulting shadows and framed views over the wooded areas - become the main characteristics of this space.

The layout of the concrete walls responds to the movement around the building and to the different approaches to it from each orientation, while the arched openings establish references with the gaps in the load-bearing walls of the initial building. The curved ground floor walls favor the concave / convex relationship between the exterior and the interior of the loggia, and define the perimeter of the terrace on the first floor -as a consequence of the setback at this level of the facades-, with views towards the green areas and sports facilities.

The program is structured on two levels, with a similar organization: a large service area, compartmentalized to accommodate the requirements of industrial kitchens; and open rooms around. The building has a cafeteria and dining room on the ground floor, and a self-service restaurant on the upper level.

Materially, the building is characterized by the contrast between the mass of the reinforced concrete walls -with different geometries-, and the smooth glass panels on curtain walls. On the interior façade of the ground floor, the enclosure of the opaque areas is made of extruded aluminum.

The interiors are neutral and bright, with sound-absorbing aluminum ceilings in the different rooms. The different spaces - interior and exterior - respond to the idea of ​​generating comfortable spaces for meeting and relationship, in an open and dynamic place.