View of Álora, "Mirador 360º" by WaterScales arquitectos

Description of project by WaterScales arquitectos

About the place and the intervention

Álora, with its Castle and its historic Arrabal, is prow of the mountainous landscape of the Sierra del Hacho. The villa is the result of successive stories to the rhythm of Malaga that culminate in the famous Cerco and its Romance. Rich in tangible and intangible stimuli, some almost lost, sought to renew and beautify both the way of life of the inhabitants of the Arrabal, as their way of being discovered by the traveler. Through a contest of ideas, the renovation of pavement, urban facilities and everything that contributed to make their places recover a new glow was sought. We proposed the intervention called "Tapestry e: 1/1" which, in dialogue with the cultural landscape of Álora, registered its energy. A kind of stony map that will help to travel, look, discover, know and experience the landscape. The second phase of the intervention is the so-called 360º Viewpoint.

360º viewpoint

In a curve of the edge road that surrounds the Cerro de las Torres and links the Castle with the Plaza de la Despedía, coinciding with the station VIII of the via crucis, a stop on the road brings the landscape closer to the visitor. The border road was a deteriorated pavement and a solid wall painted in an ocher color salmon. The proposed pavement is a stone carpet and the wall seeks its "invisibility". In the lower part, the sandstone gabions of the area make the wall integrated into the hillside giving all the prominence to Castillo and Cerro. At the coronation, the railing is hardly air vibration.

The stone carpet modifies the texture of its pavement on the occasion of station VIII of the Via Crucis. Next to it, two seats invite to the contemplation of the valley and the viewpoint suggests the dynamic view in 360º. The cultural landscape of Álora is thus shown to the traveler. On one side, the natural landscape of valleys that make up the Guadalhorce basin and its orchards. On the other, thanks to our aerial position, the main landmarks of Álora's cultural landscape are put in relation; the gothic chapel of Jesús Nazareno de las Torres, the Arab castle and the stepped configuration of the village presided over by Mount Hacho.

About the materials and their construction

The materials are used for their sincerity, and their connection obeys the ideas pursued.

Wall and railing

The edge of the road is constructed by a wall of gabions filled with sandstone from the area and the steel bars show their rusty color in tune with the stone they shelter. The crowning that defines the railing is released from the stone making its limit barely noticeable.

Ground

The soil defines its vibration according to the size, texture and tone of the granite. The center, made by larger pieces, rough and dark, accompanies our progress. It is flanked by two bands of smaller, light-flamed granite cobblestones. The carpet empties into a dark pavement area of ​​small cobbles in wave geometry whose epicenter is a circular piece of white marble that marks the VIII station of the via crucis. Next to it, two cylindrical white marble seats show their impact on the pavement. They invite us to understand the consolation of the tearful of Jerusalem on the part of Jesus on the way to Calvary.

Lookout

Stop on the road, place of contemplation and information point of the cultural landscape aloreño.

Its flat floor, lets the air whistle through it and vibrates in variable transparency at our pace. The railing with thin vertical bars supports a wide informative handrail with aerial and perforated texts. The first indicate places of the cultural landscape, and the second historical periods, characters or data of interest to the traveler.

Gardening

The intervention area tries to recover some zones of abandonment or natural deterioration. The work is confined to the lower area of ​​the slope where low-lying low-maintenance shrubs have been planted; lavender, lavandula, and caper, capparis spinosa.

Illumination

At dusk, the pieces of the pavement light up marking the way. During the acts of Holy Week, the candles inside the railing will accompany the nightly events of religious passion.

We would like to have captured the spirit of the landscape and brought the traveler experience of the rich cultural landscape of Álora. The path and the viewpoint highlight the landscape, bringing out its values.