GALINDEZ SLOPE AND PAU CASALS SQUARE

Bilbao, Spain
ACXT Architects

The city of Bilbao grew during the post-war period when dwellings were rapidly built for workers on the slopes of the mountains surrounding the city. Urban services and infrastructure were insufficient, providing inequitable municipal resources across the city. The districts of Txurdínaga and Otxarkoaga, which were former vineyard sites in the former walled municipality of Begoña, followed this pattern of growth, and a lack of planning regulations caused a rocky slope on Jesús Galíndez Avenue to become inaccessible. This rocky slope physically and socially separated the city, with a single metal stairway descending the 54 foot grade change between the areas of the city. To connect the divided city, ACXT Architects constructed a series of inclined triangular planes of different reflective materials. This low-poly shell of planes reveals the steep topography, and uses different species of vegetation, as well as the exposed rock face, as the materials of the project. A horizontal platform functions as a gathering space with views over the city, and stairways as well as seating areas and public toilets are included in the planes. The folds of the triangular panels generate space both in the park and on the edge, and the vehicular crossroads on the site was removed and returned to a wooded area with planted plane trees. The project successfully stabilized the embankment not only for the soil and landslides, but also included a successful public program to connect the community to the space and across it.

2009
2.71 acres
1300 feet above sea level

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