SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, July 4. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Ruiz-Larrea, an architecture studio from Madrid specialized in sustainability, has directed students from the University of Navarra (UNAV) in the design of sustainable public housing for those affected by the La Palma volcano, projects that have been donated to the El Paso City Council to contribute to the reconstruction process six months after the end of the eruption.
“We have tried to combine teaching and our professional experience with the response to today’s problems. We are proud that sustainable architecture and innovation are capable of uniting students, the University of Navarra and the El Paso City Council to provide solutions to the difficult situation experienced by the palm growers”, pointed out César Ruiz-Larrea, founder of the study.
The solidarity proposal has been developed through a workshop or practical workshop that can be evaluated within the Master’s Degree in Design and Environmental Management of Buildings that the UNAV School of Architecture teaches at its Madrid campus.
Guided by the architects César Ruiz-Larrea and Miguel Díaz Martín and coordinated by the director of the master’s degree, Ana Sánchez-Ostiz, thirty final-year students developed seven different proposals to build a new neighborhood of up to 91 homes for the benefit of as many families. For its location, a municipally owned plot was established, in accordance with the agreement signed between the City Council of El Paso and the UNAV itself.
WOOD, PATIO AND ORCHARDS
The projects include homes with between 1 and 3 bedrooms in groups of up to three storeys (ground floor + 2 floors) that meet the requirements established by Ruiz-Larrea: high comfort, maximum energy and environmental sustainability, use of industrialized methods and respect for the environment and to the socio-cultural heritage of the Isla Bonita.
Among the strategies used by the students, the use of Canarian pine and volcanic stone, the use of natural lighting, cross ventilation and the use of lattices, interior patios and green roofs to reduce energy demand stand out.
In parallel, the projects attach great importance to private terraces or patios, without giving up large outdoor spaces (patios, gardens, orchards) that will serve to maintain the traditional palm community character and help its inhabitants to create new memories. after the traumatic incident.
In addition, the houses have been conceived in a modular and flexible way, giving priority to industrialized processes, so that, after the housing emergency, the houses can be adapted at a very low cost and included in the municipal heritage as residential rentals for young people. or other groups.
EXHIBITION ON JULY 7
The development of the proposals prepared by the students under the supervision of Ruiz-Larrea is now in the hands of the El Paso City Council, which now has a solid base with which to respond to the needs of its neighbors.
The public exhibition of the works, included in the agreement between both institutions, is the responsibility of the Consistory itself, setting July 7 at 7:30 p.m. as the date for the inauguration of the exhibition in an event that has the participation of the mayor , Sergio Rodríguez, César Ruiz-Larrea and a delegation of UNAV students who have carried out solidarity housing projects.
