High drama: MX_SI reveals a bold new cultural centre in Granada
The metaphor of a gateway to the arts is forcefully expressed in concrete in this new building for the Federico García Lorca Centre in Granada. The work of Barcelona-based studio MX_SI, the centre honours the life of the Spanish playwright and provides a focal point for community engagement with literature, theatre and the visual and musical arts. The mighty entrance makes an immediate focal point, drawing the eye in from across the city's Plaza de la Romanilla and concentrating visitors on a journey into an inner sanctum of the arts.
García Lorca was born and lived in Granada, his career cut short when he was assassinated by the Nationalists in the opening weeks of the Spanish Civil War. His reputation grew clandestinely under Franco and he is now revered, especially in the city of his birth. Any building honouring the poet and playwright's name needed to convey a tough, solid image to the world, as well as reflecting the way the arts open up one's perception of the city. The rich layers of in-situ concrete that make up the faceted exterior mirror the city's traditional use of stone.
The mighty angular facade setbacks point inward to the entrance, eventually leading into a corridor and public space. Changing roof levels don't interfere with a large, column-free area for accessible activities, enlivened by the interplay of light and shadow from the angular roofscape above.
The new building, which was won in competition, has taken a decade to realise. As well as gallery spaces, it houses a 400-seat flexible theatre, a generous library and the poet's archive, as well as a café and shop. The architects, Mara Partida, Mónica Juvera, Boris Bezan and Héctor Mendoza, formed their practice off the back of winning the project in 2005 and have since made cultural centres a specialty.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the MX_SI Architectural Studio website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
SOPHIE's posthumous album is a reminder of her enduring legacy
It's been nearly four years since boundary-breaking electronic music producer and artist, SOPHIE, tragically passed away. As fans are gifted a last, posthumous album completed by her loved ones, music critic El Hunt reflects on her remarkable legacy
By El Hunt Published
-
Flit to the Indonesian island of Flores and its new luxury resort
Ta’aktana Labuan Bajo melds an eco-conscious philosophy with local cultural influences
By Jen Paolini Published
-
British furniture brand Pinch celebrates 20 years of design excellence
UK-based furniture and lighting label Pinch marks two decades in the business with an impressive anniversary collection and a pop-up showroom in New York’s Tribeca
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Bodegas Faustino Winery celebrates process through its versatile vaulted visitor centre
Bodegas Faustino Winery completes extension by Foster + Partners in Spain, marking a new chapter to the long-standing history between the architecture practice and their client
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Playball Studio's architecture balances the organic and the technical
Playball Studio, a young Indo-Spanish design practice, features in the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024
By Pallavi Mehra Published
-
In Palma, beloved watch boutique Relojeria Alemana gets a dramatic revamp
Edificio RA for Relojeria Alemana has been redesigned by OHLAB, refreshing a historical landmark in Palma, Mallorca with a 21st-century twist
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Santiago Bernabéu stadium redesign: a sneak peek into the works
We take a tour of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, as the beloved sports facility is being given a refresh
By Agnish Ray Published
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
All hail the power of concrete architecture
‘Concrete Architecture’ surveys more than a century’s worth of the world’s most influential buildings using the material, from brutalist memorials to sculptural apartment blocks
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Three Object Apartment embraces raw concrete honesty in the heart of Athens
Three Object Apartment by DeMachinas is a raw concrete home in Athens, which confidently celebrates its modernist bones
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
MOCA is a self-sufficient mobile home offering freedom to work (and roam)
MOCA (Mobile Catalyst) is a sustainable mobile home designed by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, and taking remote working to a new level
By Tianna Williams Published