Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square
28/02/2017.
by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge [Irun, Guipuzkoa] Spain
metalocus, OLGA SVISHCHEVA
metalocus, OLGA SVISHCHEVA
The redevelopment of Irun´s old town square and surrounding streets, promoted by the Ayuntamineto de Irún, is a part of a global renovation project that affects the whole central public space of Irun, Guipuzkoa.
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Adria Goula
Site plan. Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge.
Plan. Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge.
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Mayor´s Office. Ayuntamiento de Irun
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Fernando de la Hera
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Mayor´s Office. Ayuntamiento de Irun
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Fernando de la Hera
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Fernando de la Hera
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Fernando de la Hera
Plaza Urdanibia. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge. Photograph © Fernando de la Hera
Previous state. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge.
Previous state. The redevelopment of Irun’s old town square by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge.
The project of Plaza Urbanibia, realized by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge, provides a new urbanistic space, comfortbale and adaptable, open and renewed, but at the same time it conserves its signs of identity. As a result of this project, the square has become wider, including different fragmented spaces, it has been pedestrianized and revitalised with green areas, creating a new community meeting point.
Description of the project by SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge
Plaza Urdanibia is a public area at the heart of Irun’s old town, where the main public events of the city take place, such as the weekly market, the patron saint festivities, craft fairs, concerts, etc. Before this area was redeveloped, the space destined to these activities was limited to the interior of the first boulevard. The rest of the public space was occupied by roads, parking lots and fenced areas.
The Project reclaims this great central empty space, while establishing close bonds with the existing urban elements and their history, with an emphasis on the great dimensions of the area, which were highly fragmented in the past. It also represents a big opportunity for the economic and social development of the neighborhood and the city itself.
New connectivities
The square becomes a central connectivity point for pedestrians, vegetation and other urban structures, previously isolated, and encourages more fluid communication flows, both pedestrian and ecological.
Sustainable mobility
Movements of private vehicles are diverted and the traffic is limited to internal transit, prioritizing pedestrians and allowing public transport to have a more fluid flow on its route to the centre. With this in mind, we blur the vehicle’s circuit through the use of a single platform section and the pavement layout.
Vegetation
The general criteria for the vegetation’s proposal place emphasis on the project as a whole, rather than an isolated unit, thus contributing to the ecological and environmental processes and it seasonal dynamics. The tree vegetation runs from one end of the square to the other end, creating new resting areas and alternative movements, away from traffic.
The banks of shrubs situated within the open space of the square are laid out in such a way that the interior landscape connects with the nearby agricultural space background, comprised of big forest glades as well as dense forests.
More information
Architects
SCOB Arquitectura i Paisatge: Sergi Carulla Altadill, Oscar Blasco Lázaro
Collaborators
Conchita Ruiz, Kyriaki Ilousi, Gerard Yubero, Sergio Sanna; Installations: Oscar Cabrera
Client
Ayuntamiento de Irún
Construction company
URBYCOLAN
Location
Plaza Urdanibia. 20304 Irún, Guipuzkoa. Spain
Built area
13.820,00 sqm
Year
2015
Arquitectura y Paisaje SCOB
SCOB Arquitectura y Paisaje were founded by Sergi Carulla and Oscar Blasco in 2005. They are landscape architects. They teach at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura of Barcelona and at the Italian Centre of Architecture in Milan. Their work has been recognised internationally through awards, contests and specialised publications. At present, they investigate landscape through other disciplines that go beyond architecture, such as cinema and literature.
Sergi Carulla Architect. Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona, 1996 Landscape architect. Master de arquitectura del paisaje UPC, 2002 Founder partner of scob arquitectura y paisaje, 2005 Currently teaches in Master in Landscape Architecture of Barcelona and the Italian Centre of Architecture in Milan.
Oscar Blasco Architect. Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona, 1999 Landscape architect. Master de arquitectura del paisaje UPC, 2002 Founder partner of scob arquitectura y paisaje, 2005 Currently teaches in Master in Landscape Architecture of Barcelona and the Italian Centre of Architecture in Milan.
