(smow) blog compact: Visions of the Alhambra – Álvaro Siza @ Aedes Architecture Forum Berlin

Until May 8th 2014 the Aedes Architecture Forum Berlin is hosting the exhibition Visions of the Alhambra, a presentation of the new visitor centre/site entrance designed for the Alhambra palace/fortress/citadel complex in Granada, Spain by Álvaro Siza Vieira and Juan Domingo Santos.

Originally constructed in the 9th century as a feudal fortress, the Alhambra served from the 11th century as a seat of power for Moorish rulers of Granada and subsequently as a citadel for the catholic conquerors at the end of the 15th century. Each dynasty adding to and extending the site and its architecture to create a mosaic of styles. Allowed to fall into disrepair during the 18th century the Alhambra was “rediscovered” in the 19th century and restored to its former glory. Or at least close to.

In 1984 the Alhambra, and the neighbouring Generalife Summer Palace, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and the complex is now one of the leading tourist attractions in Spain, attracting some 2,300,000 visitors in 2012.

In 2010 the Council of the Alhambra and Generalife in Granada as custodians of the site initiated an international competition for a new visitor centre/site entrance. From the 41 submitted proposals the “New Gate” project by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza and Granada native Juan Domingo Santos emerged as victor. For Álvaro Siza the challenge was “to enhance the Alhambra’s own qualities; transforming but not breaking or dissolving, rather recreating the character of a non-fragmentable architectural complex.” Siza and Santos’s solution is a 5700 sqm, three-tiered construction incorporating water features, gardens and courtyards which, through the differing lengths of the tiers, appears to gently slope down towards the Alhambra entrance. According to Juan Domingo Santos, “this image of landscaped terraces spread over the landscape seems an appropriate solution for the project, allowing the architecture to associate a system of natural land use, preserving their original paths and profiles”

In addition to sketches and models of the new construction the exhibition also presents video interviews with Álvaro Siza, Juan Domingo Santos and María del Mar Villafranca, director of the Council of the Alhambra and Generalife, and a series of hand sketches by Álvaro Siza of both the Alhambra complex and the plans for the new visitor centre. A collection of  books on the history of the Alhambra and a bi-lingual, English/German, time-line provide more detailed background information.

Visions of the Alhambra – Álvaro Siza can be viewed at the Aedes Architecture Forum Berlin, Aedes Am Pfefferberg, Christinenstraße 18-19, 10119 Berlin until Thursday May 8th 2014.

Entry is free and full details can be found at www.aedes-arc.de