With the arrival of crisp fall days, we can’t help but recall the warmer summer days that inspired our Concéntrico 11 “Heat Island” proposal last year.
Our proposal, an inviting oasis within Logroño’s Felipe VI Park, centers on the reinvention of the terracotta roof tile - a ubiquitous building material throughout the local context - as a spatial building block, leveraging its inherent environmental benefits to create a thermal microclimate. Organized within a modular cubic grid, strategic subtractions create spaces for circulation, seating, gathering areas, and greenery. By combining a natural material palette with an organized yet flexible framework, the design achieves a harmonious balance of enclosure and openness, promoting airflow, natural light, and an immersive experience for park visitors.
Reclaimed terracotta tiles, suspended in a welded wire mesh grid, introduce a rhythmic interplay of density and porosity, casting organic patterns of dappled light and shadow on the surroundings. The same terracotta tiles are used to form seating and planter modules, intentionally arranged to enhance comfort and functionality. The geometry and arrangement of the terracotta tiles channel wind and direct the breeze towards the occupiable areas. Their orientation increases shading during summer months while allowing more sunlight to enter during the winter.
CHECKPOINT | Winter 2024-25
26th International Garden Festival
Amid growing sociopolitical challenges reshaping the global landscape, our shortlisted proposal for the 26th International Garden Festival seeks to redefine the barrier arm — a device for regulating traffic flow and restricting access — from a border to a checkpoint to a garden environment. This juxtaposition highlights the often-arbitrary nature of geopolitical borders, calling into question colonial concepts of land ownership and demarcation.
The dynamic relationships between forest and object reinforce the futility of their contextual placement, encouraging visitors to consider traditional mechanisms of control. In their new context, the checkpoints invite visitors to engage with them, pass through them, and walk around them, turning devices of control into objects of play and discovery. Through this act of recontextualization, our proposal demonstrates how critical design thinking can thoughtfully engage with pressing global challenges.
