amann cánovas maruri: roof for molinete roman ruins

‘roof for molinete roman ruins’ by amann-cánovas-maruri in cartagena, murcia, spain all images courtesy amann-cánovas-maruri image © david frutos

madrid-based architecture practice amann-cánovas-maruri (atxu amann, andrés cánovas, nicolás maruri) has shared with us images of ‘roof for molinete roman ruins’, a new cover protecting an assembly of archaeological thermal baths, forum and domus of molinete park in cartagena, spain. conceived as a transition element between very diverse urban conditions, the light polycarbonate structure seeks to seamlessly integrate the dense city centre to the sloping park while creating a continuous perception of the whole site.

exterior view from park image © david frutos

read as a hovering volume that stretches from the edge of the park, the faceted intervention describes a low-lying artificial topography with dynamic angles and faces. the exterior skin is constructed out of perforated steel plates and corrugated polycarbonate sheets to exhibit a uniform but translucent quality to the roof, allowing sunlight to filter through to the archaeological site below. in order to fully respect the roman remains, the design achieves a large span with limited structural stilts.

view of ruins image © david frutos

to allow for a fully immersive observation of the roman assembly, the design offers an elevated walkway which runs parallel to the street of the city. the light steel beam structure provides an overall view of the archaeological remains from three meters high. subtly shifting in its route, the fully accessible path generates a new urban facade through coloured partition walls.

underneath roof image © david frutos

from elevated pathway image © david frutos

image © david frutos

stairs to elevated route image © david frutos

image © david frutos

at night image © david frutos

during construction

model

3D model

rendered aerial view

rendered approach

site plan

ruins plan

roof plan

longitudinal section

front elevation

project info:

architects: atxu amann, andrés cánovas, nicolás maruri team: nacho álvarez-monteserín, javier gutiérrez, ana lópez, pablo sigüenza, josé lópez promoter: cartagena puerto de culturas quantity surveyor: rafael checa construction: TMR client: cartagena puerto de culturas construction surveyor: andrés canovas and nicolás maruri structure: josé cerezo ingeniería SL