Restauración vs. tabula rasa. Reconversión de una estructura obsoleta en Centro Sociocultural

Resumo

Inside an old store about 900.00 sq.m. sized, located in a basement, with an unique front side and placed under a traffic route with a strict limitation of weight (4 tons) that was not respected by trucks, a Facilities public building and a Library had to be designed by request of the City Council. Basic needs like healthiness and lightning were solved through four openings acting as patios or lungs. But that was not the whole thing. During the execution, several extra requests, suggested by the property, became unsuspected structural challenges: a second floor (hosting the enlargement of the library) should be placed on the mezzanine (considering the extra loads of paper); a serious loss of sand and gravel was noticed as the original coating was removed, and finally, inadequate concrete reinforcement in footings and nonexistent tie beams in foundation. After those new circumstances, structure acquired a new importance so it became a formal part of the finishings and space, remaining naked on both sides of the mezzanine, sketching a draughtboard up and down trough the HEB-200 steel beams. Finally, this article offers a reflection around the values of this kind of refurbishments as seen from the point of view of architecture, politics and civil responsibility.