moneo brock studio: glass pavilion in cuenca, spain

madrid-based moneo brock studio has sought to rehabilitate the abandoned natural landscape bordering the jucar and moscas rivers with a forest of steel and glass. the ‘glass pavilion’ fits the historic spanish city of cuenca with an ice-skating rink performance space, bars and restaurants, all under the cover of faceted abstractions of the surrounding woodlands. the 23 pentagonal modules act as a mediator between the encompassing thicket and the urban fabric, using the fragmentation of architectural materials to articulate the geometrical theater of the park. a crystalline exterior belies the overlayed truss-work appreciated under the cover of the open-plan space. the 35 acre site becomes a locus of activity, filtered by the complex compositions and transformative volumes of light the shelter permits. glass of varying opacities completes the unification of landscape, sunlight and human interaction.

the all weather pavilion envelopes the program with faceted glazing images © ake lindmanall images courtesy of moneo brock

structure articulates form with directional steel trusses images © ake lindman

glass of varying opacities creates a gradient of built spaceimages © ake lindman

the architecture allows for the appreciation of the surrounding park images © ake lindman

pentagonal modules are repeated, inverted and joined images © ake lindman

steel and glass abstract the shapes of nearby trees images © ake lindman

(left): detail of the joinery(right): exterior views images © ake lindman

the pavilion is a dynamic filter between the urban landscape and the park images © ake lindman