The architectural intervention aims to enhance the organizational qualities of the urban space, environmental and landscaping aspects, but also to reinforce its functionality and its urban and community equipment significance, eliminating dead spots and with the main premise of choosing materials based on sustainability criteria.
To achieve this, a partial covering of the square is proposed using light, wide-span porticoes that rotate with each other, redirecting flows within the square and acting as large entrance gates while allowing for great flexibility in its use.
In the eastern area of the square, a garden area will be left next to the Urtsuarán River as a resting and relaxation zone with the aim of valuing its channel and integrating it landscaping-wise and functionally into the square. This area is characterized by its tree planting in contrast to the harder surface of the rest of the square, aiming to dialogue with the more natural landscape represented by the existence of the Urtsuarán River channel.
The architecture studio wanted to highlight the urban character of the square by paving it with sandstone tiles (except for the garden areas). Furthermore, it aims to ensure the flexible use of the square and its adaptation and the new covering to each of the events held in Idiazabal throughout the year. This flexibility is guaranteed by the layout of the covering in relation to the square.
Regarding urban furniture, it will be placed in the garden areas as these are conceived as resting places, leaving the rest of the square free to increase flexibility in its use. Moreover, the lighting is integrated into the structure of the porticoes (along the pillars and beams) avoiding the placement of lampposts around the square. This lighting is conceived as a basic element in the design of the square, allowing for different types of lighting depending on the time of day and year and even depending on the activities to be carried out in the square: warm ambient lighting from the base of the pillars at night, more intense lighting along the entire length of the porticoes (even with color ambiance) during special events, etc.
The design of the covering and the choice of materials follow sustainability criteria on three levels: economic, social, and environmental.
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Economic sustainability based on the search for a financially viable and contained solution with reduced maintenance costs.
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Social sustainability based on the use of local resources promoting the employability of local people.
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Environmental sustainability based on the compatibility of activity and ecosystem preservation through the use of recycled, natural materials, or materials that produce low CO2 emissions in their manufacturing.
