Adeje’s Plaza de España architect finalist for European Prize for Public Urban Space

[aspasia]

The Plaza de España in Adeje, the new square between the town hall and the church at the top of Calle Grande, is a finalist in the seventh edition of the European Prize for Public Urban Space. The award was created to recognize the recuperation and creation of public spaces, and is held every two years, being granted to the professionals responsible, in this case Canarian architect Fernando Martín Menis, the architect behind the amazing and beautiful Magma Centre.

Adeje mayor José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga said that from the outset they wanted to make a plaza which joined the present with the past, and paid homage to Adejeros of the past. The end result has been a new tower in the exact place where there used to be an ossuary, and under which, in the future, will be an art museum. As such, the project is unfinished, and is competing for the prize with 346 other finalists in Europe whose works are completed. The plaza will be included in the on-line European Archive of Public Urban Space which comprises a selection of the best projects presented for the prize. JA

[Janet]

Fernando Menis, who was a finalist in this year's European Prize for Public Urban Space,  is now a finalist in the New and Old category of the World Architecture Festival for his design of the Plaza de España de Adeje. The prize will be awarded in Singapore between 3 and 5 October. The festival is considered the most important in its speciality, and to be a global showcase of architectural excellence. Some 8,000 professionals will be attending. For more information about the festival and the shortlisted finalists, the website is www.worldarchitecturefestival.com . 

[Janet]

And the Plaza de España has won! The judges said that the design, of Menis Arquitectos, was 'a transformative project that uses the removal of buildings to open up an enlarged public plaza to an incredible landscape. 'The addition of a small, underground museum adds to the surprise and unique understanding of how to activate a new public amenity – but more importantly it defines a new way for the town to appreciate its own identity and context, away from its role as a tourist destination.' The judges stressed that the bold approach allowed the 'un-obvious to become the obvious solution'. For more, see the World Architecture Festival site HERE, and for the project in detail, see HERE. JA