Glosario. (glossary)

Terminology of Architectural Purpose

refers to a large and open reception room or living space within a building, typically used for entertaining guests or hosting events.

translates to "palace" in English. It refers to a large, grand, and often ornate building that was originally designed and built for royalty or nobility. In modern times, the term may also be used to describe any large and impressive building that exudes luxury and grandeur.

refers to a restoration workshop, typically used for the conservation and repair of historical or cultural artifacts.

translates to "the tower" in English. It refers to a tall and narrow structure that rises above the rest of a building, often used for observation, defense, or decoration.

means "throne room" in English. It refers to a grand and often ornate room within a palace or castle that was originally designed for the monarch to receive guests or hold important ceremonies.

refers to a small or medium-sized room within a building that is dedicated to music performances or listening.

refers to a room or space within a building that is used for administrative or professional work.

refers to a room or salon within a building that is named after the Italian composer, Francesco Gasparini. Usually used for exhibiting precious artefacts, similar to the function of museum in modern days.

translates to "banquet hall" or "dining room" in English. It refers to a large and formal room within a palace or castle that is used for hosting important meals or events.

refers to a room or hall within a palace or castle that was originally used as a guardroom for the royal guards, known as "alabarderos".

refers to a long and narrow room within a building that is used for displaying artwork or other objects of interest.

translates to "keep" or "main tower" in English. It refers to the gatehouse within a castle or fortress, often used for defense or as a residence for the lord or monarch.

translates to "council" or "council chamber" in English. It refers to a room or hall within a palace or castle that is used for meetings or discussions among advisors or officials.

Terminology of Architectural Theory

in Scottish tradition, refers to a wooden chest or box, often used for storage purposes. These chests were typically crafted with a heavy, solid presence and could store a variety of items, such as clothes, valuables, or even documents.

means the area which can develop a complex form of representation. It is understood to be both a geographical locus of interest, a climatic condition, architectural artefacts, landscapes, cultivated and uncultivated land, conceptual prompts, narrative threads, fictional and real inhabitants.” is a landscape in the form of a room. Conventionally, this is an exterior room but in an architectural context it could be deep within a buildings interior. It is a core sample of a far greater set of landscape concerns, a metonymic fragment of a Scapeland. is an articulate threshold that, through its refined detail, suggests the nature of the more vaguely conceived world beyond. Initially operating as a tool and catalyst for examining in greater detail the neighbourhood of a particular part of a territory would appear to be a landscape whenever the mind is transported from one sensible matter to another, but retains the sensorial organization appropriate to the first, or at least a memory of it. The earth seen from the moon for a terrestrial, the countryside for the townsman; the city for a farmer. refers to the process of strategically placing or introducing specific design elements or functions within an urban environment or a building, with the intention of fostering growth, development, or transformation. These seeds can be the initial ideas, concepts, or interventions that, over time, evolve and adapt to their surroundings, influencing the future development of the area or the way people interact with the space. is a concept introduced by French philosopher Michel Foucault, refers to spaces that exist outside of, or in contrast to, traditional or everyday spaces. These "other spaces" can be both physical and mental, and they often challenge or subvert the norms and expectations of the surrounding environment. refers to the process of uncovering and understanding the Ávila's unique features, historical events, and cultural significance, particularly in relation to Santa Teresa and the procession. It is the initial stage of exploration and discovery that lays the foundation for the architectural design. is a design process that manipulates surfaces or forms to create fluid, dynamic, and interconnected spaces. Folding explores the potential for creating complex and organic forms through a continuous transformation of geometry. signifies the incorporation of existing architectural elements and cityscapes into the new design. By enfolding these elements into the project, the design weaves together the city's historical and cultural context, creating an integrated and meaningful architectural intervention. refers to the intentional incorporation of diverse, often contrasting elements within a single architectural design. It challenges the notion of simplicity and purity in modern architecture, emphasising the importance of embracing contradiction, ambiguity, and multiplicity.

Tesis. (thesis)

Occupying a granite outcrop and tethered at the angle of the western wall, the El Nuevo Palacio de Ávila offers a landscape of educational, performative and governmental spaces to a community overshadowed by its neighbours to the east. Eastern Ávila, elevated, fed by natural springs and peopled by palaces and convents stands in stark contrast to the lower west with its impoverished and workaday heritage of smallscale manufacture, storehouse and transient populations.

The thesis proposes an architecture of unfolding and enfolding - a combination of two folded objects: the procession of Santa Teresa through the streets of the city and therein the enfolding of architectural figures from the densely woven grain of the city and, the greater extramural landscape of cultivated fields, a river and mountains. Unfolded, this landscape of granite, limestone, timber, terracotta and steel; of vessels and canopies, loggias, walkways and bridges inscribe a new palace above its granite footing. With the palatial conceit of enfilade, the design foregrounds a central spine for movement, service and the distribution of water. Gatehouse and vestibule lead through open cloister and atrium into a building at once civic - open to and of the city and its landscape - and governmental.

Shaded from the summer sun and winter snows, tempered by the thermal mass of granite walls and cooled by the passage of channelled waters the El Nuevo Palacio de Ávila transforms a once-neglected area into a vibrant, inclusive civic centre, rooted in history but poised for the future.