Torres de Cotillas

Given its proposed location, the new Auditorium and Arts Center is intended to become an inviting activity center that will establish a new connection between the consolidated old town of Torres de Cotillas and the recently designed office park complex.

In order to solidify this connection we propose for the new Auditorium and Arts Center to become a 24-7 activity center. This will be achieved through the creation of an outdoor public agora that will double the activity levels of the originally required program. Located in the upper level of the building, the space will be able to hold concerts, social events and public meetings.

Due to the current depleted condition of its surroundings the building adopts a decisively introverted architectural expression. However, the austere nature of its exterior facade is balanced by the open, light filled spatial qualities of the interior.

The building’s structure is conceived entirely of concrete. The exterior perimeter walls are designed as a double layer of reinforced concrete. Gravity loads originated by the public space in the upper level are distributed through a series of radial concrete beams forming the horizontal support assembly. Additionally a series of concentric circular concrete elements form the seating platforms for the upper public space. The interstitial space created between them provide an opportunity for the creation of a continuous clerestory ring that fill light the large ground floor public spaces.

The seemingly severity of the concrete exterior is softened by the introduction of a series of small, randomly placed penetrations in the wall. These penetrations will be created using a system of solid glass elements embedded within the concrete wall itself. During the day the wall allows light to filter through to the interior of the building while at nighttime the building presents a very different expression. The small, randomly placed penetrations will glow emphasizing both the building’s role as a community beacon and it’s condition as a 24-7 activity center.