Auditorium in front of the Roman Theater of Cartagena (Master’s thesis

Auditorium in front of the Roman Theater of Cartagena (Master’s Thesis)

In the 90s, the process of recovery of the Roman Theater of Cartagena started and culminated in 2008 with its reopening and the inauguration of the Museum of the Roman Theater designed by Rafael Moneo. However, the quadripórtic, the courtyard behind the scene and preceding the entrance to the theater, was never recovered and that site is still empty.

The plot of action is therefore in front of the Roman Theater, over the Roman quadripod and partly surrounded by a protected facade with cultural interest that will remain.

The objective of the project is to complete the rehabilitation process that was carried out on the Roman Theater, equip it with the current technical needs for its use and complete the program with a small auditorium and an acting school.

The project is divided into three elevated volumes over the ruins of the quadriportic that are aligned with the street level to the north and with the Roman Theater to the south. The three programs that make up the project are separated into these three blocks: an administrative block (left side) that also has provisions for the theater, an educational one (on the right side) and the auditorium centered and facing the Roman Theater.

The three blocks are perpendicular to the Roman theater but are molded to the urban context that surrounds them. The auditorium is flush with the level of the Roman

Theater connecting both stages.

The relationship between this and the new auditorium is made through a technical façade, a skin that mediates between both theaters, acts as a scenic background for both and creates the possibility of doing a joint work. It also provides the necessary light and sound equipment necessary for current shows.

Likewise, the rear façade imitates this technical façade and a stage situation is also generated in the rear plaza, thus allowing to use the three scenarios as one or in-

dependently.

Research center and residence

With the aim of reactivating Nuevo Baztán, a town near Madrid founded in the 14th century, it is proposed to create a Beekeeping Research Center, with abundant production in the area. The program is completed with residences used by this laboratories and the growing tourism that the town is experiencing.

The research center is conceived as a large greenhouse in which the program packages are placed in rows facing south. The blocks communicate through a large corridor open to the greenhouse that expands at different points to generate common areas. In these block we find the laboratories, departments and offices on the ground floor, and workshops and the administration on the upper floor The blocks use their orientation, closing to the north, and opening large windows to the south. The orientation, the thermal gap generated by the greenhouse, the

inclination of the roofs and the thermal inertia of the bricks are focused on reducing the energy consumption of the research center.

In the residences, imitating the previous model, dual independent blocks are proposed with houses for tourists, students or professionals. The houses, two per block, are organized around a central wet room, releasing the rest of the floor. The residences are combined with greenhouses that provide climatic comfort to the residences and contain urban gardens. Large openings to the south are opened to benefit from both the views and the climatic comfort of the greenhouses that reach double height.

The set of residences act as an intermediary between the city and the countryside, containing urban gardens among their streets and limiting the use of vehicles. These homes are independent and will be generated as individual elements according to the demand that exists for them.