Manuel Ocana

摘要

Casa Mediterraneo is a diplomatic institution committed to fostering the Mediterranean Villages' common identity. Its new headquarters is to be set within the old Benalua railway station, in Alicante. The institution needed new spaces in which to develop a wide range of events, including exhibitions, concerts, shows, and parties. Beyond the programmatic requirements, we could not avoid tackling the following implicit issue: bearing in mind the preservationist and low budget premises established by the brief, setting our sights beyond the simple embalmment of the building and attempting to carry out a radical yet "citizen-friendly" intervention, how were we to approach Heritage? Firstly, dismissing the excessive testosterone of Modernism when operating in what could be described as "Refurbishment Mode". Secondly, updating and adding straightforward and idiosyncratic ornamental references. And, above all, sophisticating that bold, giant-linear space - formerly devoted to railway transit - and turning it into a public, experiential space.