Francisco González de Canales and Nuria Álvarez Lombardero with practices in Seville and London have won the competition to design a multifunctional complex building in San Salvador, capital of El Salvador.
The new facilities designed by Canales Lombardero  will serve to link and contextualize the urban scale with the future reconstruction of the pavilion presented by El Salvador at the Universal Exposition of Paris in 1889.
 

Description of project by Canales Lombardero

A new multifunctional building for fairs, conferences and exhibitions is to be proposed adjacent to the future reconstruction of El Salvador Pavilion for Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889 in San Salvador City Centre. The pavilion has very small dimensions (10×10 meters) compared to most important buildings in the existing environment, such as the National Palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral. For this reason, the new building is conceived as an articulator of these two different scales. In order to generate a harmonious transition between the two, the new building most relevant features are inspired by the proportions, decorative system (including abstract Mayan symbology) and colours of the Parisian pavilion. The design is also divided into three different areas, that facilitate the transition from the pavilion and its urban context to the interior of the main multi-functional space.

The first area is the one closest to the pavilion. It is a space conceived for the direct and one to one enjoyment of the re-erected pavilion. This space is designed for people to stay close to it, with water features, stands and shaded areas to domesticate the public space and It is in this very close distance that citizens can fully enjoy the pavilion, its intricate decorative system, its different textures that cannot be appreciated in detail from a certain distance. It is also a space where the citizens represent themselves appropriating a stepped area –an architectural feature so much rooted into the original architecture of this land.

If the first area is the place of representation, the second area is the place of gathering. It’s where people gather to celebrate different events, and the antechamber to the main multifunctional space. This area takes the form of the patio, an architectural typology also well-known in most Latin-American cultures. This area of public congregation is surrounded by a slender portico, under which people can protect themselves from the rain and the sun. The portico is not only a space of circulation, but also a space for conversation and to stay. It is also a space that can be used to organize cultural events such as book fairs, local craft markets and outdoor presentations, etc.

The third area refers to the core multi-functional of exhibition space/conference hall/auditorium. This area is an open and reconfigurable space. The space also has the possibility of receiving natural light through an expressive skylight that crowns the building and makes it visible from the outside.

There are five basic configurations for this space:

– Exhibition room free of partitionss (570 m²).
– Exhibition hall with temporary partitions (570 m²).
– Conference hall for 512 seats classic layout
– Conference hall for 530 seats central arrangement
– Open auditorium to the courtyard for 920 seats

This area of ​​the building is also supported by the different logistics areas, access lobbies, cloakrooms, toilets, storage, staff locker rooms, offices, dressing rooms, etc.

The building moment of maximum splendor is when the auditorium unfolds to the patio, to perform traditional outdoor activities in a space both monumental and informally festive.

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Francisco González de Canales Ruiz. B.Arch ETSASevilla, Dip. Arch ETSABarcelona, M.A GSD Harvard Univ., PhD ETSASevilla + Harvard GSD.

Francisco studied architecture at ESTA Seville and ETSA Barcelona. He is professor in the University of Seville and the Architectural Association (HTS and Design Unit). An active architectural critic, he has previously lectured in England, México, Spain, and the USA, collaborated in different architectural publications and curated various exhibitions at the Architectural Association as AACP coordinator (AA curatorial practices/cultural products, 2008-2012), and other travelling exhibitions for Spanish institutions such as Rafael Moneo: A theoretical Reflection through practice. He has previously researched in the Architectural Association, Catholic University of Chile, UNAM in Mexico and Harvard University under different scholarships and grants. Among his recent books are Experiment with life itself (commended by the CICA award 2013), First Works (with B. Steele) and Rafael Moneo. Building, Teaching, Writing (with N. Ray). He collaborated with Foster + PartnersCarlos Ferrater and Rafael Moneo before co-founding Canales & Lombardero.

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Canales and Lombardero is an international office of architecture based interested in working on designs with a critical understanding of the context, carefulness regarding the inhabitation of interiors, attention to materiality and construction detail. Most of their designs are located in Andalusia, a territory that they know well. This helps them to develop a certain commitment to their client’s needs, and the exploration of construction techniques available to them that they can appropriate and modify. Lately, the office has expanded its work internationally to Latin America and the Middle East.

The office has also developed substantial academic work in theory and architectural design. The initiative Politics of Fabrication at the Architectural Association has been a major channel to explore major questions the office is involved with.

Francisco González de Canales Ruiz. B.Arch ETSASevilla, Dip. Arch ETSABarcelona, M.A GSD Harvard Univ., PhD ETSASevilla + Harvard GSD. Francisco studied architecture at ESTA Seville and ETSA Barcelona. He is a professor at the University of Seville and the Architectural Association (HTS and Design Unit). An active architectural critic, he has previously lectured in England, México, Spain, and the USA collaborated in different architectural publications and curated various exhibitions at the Architectural Association as AACP coordinator (AA curatorial practices/cultural products, 2008-2012), and other travelling exhibitions for Spanish institutions such as Rafael Moneo: A theoretical Reflection through practice. He has previously researched in the Architectural Association, Catholic University of Chile, UNAM in Mexico and Harvard University under different scholarships and grants. Among his recent books are Experiment with life itself (commended by the CICA award 2013), First Works (with B. Steele) and Rafael Moneo. Building, Teaching, Writing (with N. Ray). He collaborated with Foster + PartnersCarlos Ferrater and Rafael Moneo before co-founding Canales & Lombardero.

Nuria Alvarez Lombardero. B.Arch + Dip. Arch ETSAMadrid, M.A Architectural Association, PhD ETSASevilla + Cambridge University. Nuria studied architecture at ESTA Madrid. She is a unit master in the Architectural Association. Previously Nuria has taught at the University of Cambridge, the University of Seville and the Architectural Association. She has researched in the GSD Harvard University, University of Cambridge and Architectural Association, being later funded by the Talentia Grant of the Andalusian Government, for her PhD Women in the city about gender boundaries of modern urban planning. She has published various articles and collaborated in Neutra and La Ciudad VIva magazines. As an architect, she has worked in architectural offices of Madrid and Seville, and Machado & Silvetti Associates Boston office in housing projects and urban renewal of suburban degraded areas. In 2003 co-founds the office Canales & Lombardero with Francisco Gonzalez de Canales.
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Published on: July 26, 2018
Cite: "Winning project for new multifunctional complex in San Salvador by Canales Lombardero" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/winning-project-new-multifunctional-complex-san-salvador-canales-lombardero> ISSN 1139-6415
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