Turning a cherry tree and grapevine plantation into a municipal park and covered theatre. Client: Gov. of Extremadura. Competition.
Jerte Valley is situated in central Spain, on the southern slope of Sierra de Gredos along a natural pass between Extremadura and Castile once used for transhumance. It enjoys a mild climate and lush vegetation. In the XVII century, a plague destroyed much of the endemic chestnut forest, and intensified cultivation of cherry was introduced.
In recent decades, the cherry crop has become a major tourist attraction for the area, especially during the flowering season of the more than 1.5 million cherry trees covering the valley. Each year, coinciding with the 15 day flowering period, a "Cherry Blossom Festival” is organized, with cultural and gastronomic activities related to the traditions and way of life in Valley.
To house these activities, the Commonwealth of Jerte Valley , comprising 11 municipalities,decided to launch an architectural competition for the development of the Palace of the Cherry Tree.
The program specified in the brief determined a desirable floor area of over 1500 m2. However, the brief also poses a limitation on said surface to 1000m2. In parallel, there is a clear conflict between the qualities and objectives specified, and the limited budget. The budget is limited to 1,337,000, while the requirements would push it well over two times that amount. To resolve both conflicts, we considered different strategic possibilities.
Being the budget one of the basic parameters in this project, we decided to consider a hyper-low-cost construction. For instance a rectangular warehouse building, simple and modular. However, in order to fulfil its role as a unique place, the shed has to dress attractively, so we thought it could be painted in pink (the pink shed)
The shed could also become an elegant glass and steel box, by introducing another investor. We could turn the deck into a solar farm that provides the desired materiality, while creating the business opportunity also to finance the vertical walls (the jewel of glass and metal) A proposal already related to the Productive Landscapes line of research.
It is also possible to construct a (great palace), a large, unique, high quality building; but this option seems doubly inadequate, both in economic terms and for the visual impact on the landscape.
Of course, we could consider raising an iconic architectural object, abstract enough to land in this landscape. We named it (the cherry), thinking it could look like a giant fruit topping the cake, but we were not so interested in this kind of pursuit, and it would still off-budget.
Inspired by picnics under the cherry trees (Hana-mi) traditional in distant Japan, we thought that a part of the program could be outdoors. The experience would be closer to the celebrated event, and we would be saving floor area and budget. But still, the program did require an enclosed space.
The fact that most of the building surface is to be used mainly two weeks a year, just for the flowering cherry, turned us to the idea of a minimum construction, housing the main program in inflatable pavilions, like a (blooming tree). The building would house small permanent year-round services, as well as the facilities needed to store and then serve the temporary pavilions. Auditorium, theatres, and exhibition areas would be temporary, and "flourish" with the cherry trees themselves.
The inflatable solution is very economical, and the ratio of solid and inflatable space can be adjusted to fit the budget (the blooming tree no.2)
And finally there is the option which we chose to develop in detail, (hanami-ko). Here, as in the game of GO, some elements fight others trying to get control of the land, fighting for the available 1000 m2. Hanami-ko is the masterstroke by which we get to chose anything we want, obtaining the most with the least effort; we ultimately go for this.
The two advantages of hanami-ko are the minimum budget and the integration of the space in their very agricultural production systems it is trying to celebrate, which links directly to our research of Productive Landscapes.
We start by arranging the natural terrain in terraces, fixing the banks with a stabilization system built with used car tires covered with vegetation. This is a very simple, economical and well tested construction method, enabling great results while using waste material.
We then create the sheltered spaces, using a rod and cable light structure which is standard and widely used in agriculture This system can serve as a support for vines or climbing plants, or for tarpaulins. This is extremely flexible and in a perfect visual relationship with cherry trees and the valley,
By subtle variations in the length of the rods and cables, and a heterogeneous distribution of colour on the canvas, we generate a modular, simple and economical system, which starts a dialogue with the topographical variations and colour of the landscape.
Part of the program needs to be developed in a closed space, and can be used all year round. For this part we use rammed earth walls, traditionally used in rural areas. The use of mud walls ensures high thermal inertia, excellent climate behaviour and a high performance acoustic insulation. It is also a highly sustainable material because it is made with materials taken from the place where we intervene; it is 100% natural and contains no toxic or hazardous waste.
The earth walls serve to create a serviced base which supports a versatile box enclosed with wooden slats and protected with the same set of bars, wire and canvas.
The flexibility in the interior is achieved by staggering the floor of the room, matching the slope, and the use of telescopic seating and sliding walls, which allow for multiple configurations and programs.
Jerte Valley is situated in central Spain, on the southern slope of Sierra de Gredos along a natural pass between Extremadura and Castile once used for transhumance. It enjoys a mild climate and lush vegetation. In the XVII century, a plague destroyed much of the endemic chestnut forest, and intensified cultivation of cherry was introduced.
In recent decades, the cherry crop has become a major tourist attraction for the area, especially during the flowering season of the more than 1.5 million cherry trees covering the valley. Each year, coinciding with the 15 day flowering period, a "Cherry Blossom Festival” is organized, with cultural and gastronomic activities related to the traditions and way of life in Valley.
To house these activities, the Commonwealth of Jerte Valley , comprising 11 municipalities,decided to launch an architectural competition for the development of the Palace of the Cherry Tree.
The program specified in the brief determined a desirable floor area of over 1500 m2. However, the brief also poses a limitation on said surface to 1000m2. In parallel, there is a clear conflict between the qualities and objectives specified, and the limited budget. The budget is limited to 1,337,000, while the requirements would push it well over two times that amount. To resolve both conflicts, we considered different strategic possibilities.
Being the budget one of the basic parameters in this project, we decided to consider a hyper-low-cost construction. For instance a rectangular warehouse building, simple and modular. However, in order to fulfil its role as a unique place, the shed has to dress attractively, so we thought it could be painted in pink (the pink shed)
The shed could also become an elegant glass and steel box, by introducing another investor. We could turn the deck into a solar farm that provides the desired materiality, while creating the business opportunity also to finance the vertical walls (the jewel of glass and metal) A proposal already related to the Productive Landscapes line of research.
It is also possible to construct a (great palace), a large, unique, high quality building; but this option seems doubly inadequate, both in economic terms and for the visual impact on the landscape.
Of course, we could consider raising an iconic architectural object, abstract enough to land in this landscape. We named it (the cherry), thinking it could look like a giant fruit topping the cake, but we were not so interested in this kind of pursuit, and it would still off-budget.
Inspired by picnics under the cherry trees (Hana-mi) traditional in distant Japan, we thought that a part of the program could be outdoors. The experience would be closer to the celebrated event, and we would be saving floor area and budget. But still, the program did require an enclosed space.
The fact that most of the building surface is to be used mainly two weeks a year, just for the flowering cherry, turned us to the idea of a minimum construction, housing the main program in inflatable pavilions, like a (blooming tree). The building would house small permanent year-round services, as well as the facilities needed to store and then serve the temporary pavilions. Auditorium, theatres, and exhibition areas would be temporary, and "flourish" with the cherry trees themselves.
The inflatable solution is very economical, and the ratio of solid and inflatable space can be adjusted to fit the budget (the blooming tree no.2)
And finally there is the option which we chose to develop in detail, (hanami-ko). Here, as in the game of GO, some elements fight others trying to get control of the land, fighting for the available 1000 m2. Hanami-ko is the masterstroke by which we get to chose anything we want, obtaining the most with the least effort; we ultimately go for this.
The two advantages of hanami-ko are the minimum budget and the integration of the space in their very agricultural production systems it is trying to celebrate, which links directly to our research of Productive Landscapes.
We start by arranging the natural terrain in terraces, fixing the banks with a stabilization system built with used car tires covered with vegetation. This is a very simple, economical and well tested construction method, enabling great results while using waste material.
We then create the sheltered spaces, using a rod and cable light structure which is standard and widely used in agriculture This system can serve as a support for vines or climbing plants, or for tarpaulins. This is extremely flexible and in a perfect visual relationship with cherry trees and the valley,
By subtle variations in the length of the rods and cables, and a heterogeneous distribution of colour on the canvas, we generate a modular, simple and economical system, which starts a dialogue with the topographical variations and colour of the landscape.
Part of the program needs to be developed in a closed space, and can be used all year round. For this part we use rammed earth walls, traditionally used in rural areas. The use of mud walls ensures high thermal inertia, excellent climate behaviour and a high performance acoustic insulation. It is also a highly sustainable material because it is made with materials taken from the place where we intervene; it is 100% natural and contains no toxic or hazardous waste.
The earth walls serve to create a serviced base which supports a versatile box enclosed with wooden slats and protected with the same set of bars, wire and canvas.
The flexibility in the interior is achieved by staggering the floor of the room, matching the slope, and the use of telescopic seating and sliding walls, which allow for multiple configurations and programs.
