Senior Center in Mérida

Situation Mérida, Badajoz
Area 1.544,74 m2
Year Competition, 2023

Architects
Sol89. María González & Juanjo López de la Cruz

Collaborators
Jaime Fernández, architect

Promoted by
Ayuntamiento de Mérida

We propose a single-level project, a comfortably accessible and friendly facility that cavities inward to offer a fragmented garden open to the main spaces, providing the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities in a safe and welcoming environment.

We suggest an organization of the functional program where auxiliary uses are displaced to the perimeter, creating a belt of service spaces that ensure support and versatility for the main areas, allowing direct access from the parking lot to the kitchen and storage rooms. Surrounding the central outdoor space are the main areas, which are directly open to it. On one side are the uses dedicated to quieter activities, and on the other, those more lively. All are connected through a circular route that allows for alternative passages. The outdoor activity area is designed as a two-level space: one at the same level as the main uses, landscaped with shade-providing awnings, and the other at the highest point of the plot, coinciding with the vegetated roof of the Elderly Home, offering a space for cultivation, physical activities, or walking.

The topography of the plot, which presents a slope of up to four and a half meters, allows the vegetated roof to be flush with the existing ground at the rear, blending into a single landscaping operation with native, low-maintenance plant species. This not only provides a space for enjoyment for users but also contributes to better green space provision in the neighborhood, visible from adjacent homes. Additionally, only the first bay reaches two stories; thus, the Elderly Home adopts the necessary scale to create a façade that dignifies the public space. The façade is set back to allow for a more generous sidewalk and rises with a horizontal composition in three levels: a plinth, rhythmic fenestration, and a cornice-like top, with the volume of installations concealed behind a light mesh that diffuses the entire structure toward the sky.

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The construction systems are based on maximizing rationality for better use of economic resources and reducing maintenance. A structural mesh of 5.2 by 5.2 meters addresses the entire intervention, employing more economical unidirectional systems capable of absorbing the loads of the future plant without over-dimensioning. Regarding the envelope, we opted for a facing ceramic brick in golden tones, whose expression emphasizes the condition of a hollow plinth inside, housing the outdoor space—an echo of the Alcazaba’s layout. This material ensures minimal maintenance of the walls and supports a rational, economical, and sustainable construction. For the interior, we envision friendly floors such as linoleum and bright, white walls, protected by baseboards made of pleasant-touch panels and handrails that guide users through the center. The roof proposes an extensive green system with native, low-maintenance plants. The roof of the first bay is designated for installations, with provisions for future expansion. This level connects through two large installation spaces at its ends, ensuring proper distribution across floors via its longitudinal corridors.

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The option for future expansion is based on favoring horizontal movements over vertical ones and maintaining a direct relationship with outdoor spaces. The expansion proposes adding a first-floor level while preserving the outdoor central space and the perimeter belt of service areas, ensuring accessibility from the two-story first bay and other possible perimeter points. Internally, the new floor will set back its façades around the courtyard to remain predominantly single-story. This way, the expanded level will also access the roof spaces and the high part of the plot, allowing direct outdoor exits and extending the expansion to the back of the site, which will double the original surface area of the Elderly Home. Starting from the vegetated roof parapets, the new level will be constructed with lightweight systems that minimize construction time, resembling an attic—lightweight construction that complements the original volume and softens the overall scale of the complex.

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