Architects: José María Sánchez García Photography: Roland Halbe Construction Period: 2009 Location: Alburquerque, Spain
This project preserves, restores and enhances numerous architectural, historical and cultural components along with the heritage value of Luna Castle as a new Tourist Inn. To do so, we had to maintain its exterior and interior appearance, particularly its characteristic volume and profile, and try to avoid interferences between the residential uses of the inn and the cultural aspects of the castle. The operation was focused on the fortified line of the ‘Portuguese Precinct’, in the lower part of the castle. The project is resolved with a clear subtraction operation. The building is ‘excavated’ into the profile of the bastion, totally integrated into the existing structure without competing with the castle’s facade. This excavation contains the programme for the inn. It takes adventage of the proximity to the fortress and the priviledged views of the town and the surrounding countryside due to its hight altitude. We want guests to feel that they are inside the castle and its environment, not ‘near’ or ‘alongside’ it. The project thus emerges from and adapts to this special location.
Text provided by the architect.
