It is located a few meters from the beach and a road passes over it, making it one of the most special buildings in the Canary Islands. It has 60 homes and its construction has attracted the attention of users on social networks in practically the entire country.
The Twitter account @NaoCasanova is one of those that, in August 2022, echoed the interesting aspects of the buildingin addition to the news published in various media outlets and the comments of other users on social networks that made reference to the particularities of the Los Ficus building, located in Mesa del Mar, Tacoronte.
These days this image of the Los Ficus building, in Tacoronte, Tenerife, has been seen a lot.
The Highway Law (state-owned) would prevent this situation, if it were newly built, on the peninsula.
But in the Canary Islands there are no state-owned roads. pic.twitter.com/0wmwS6pFW5— Nao Casanova (@NaoCasanova) August 30, 2022
According to the tweet, Construction took place in the early 60s “with a view to installing a road above it,” which would serve as an access ramp for vehicles to the Mesa del Mar urbanization.
How do you feel the neighbors of this building and what does it mean to them that the road is the roof of the place where they live? Some media have stated that the passage of vehicles, especially larger ones, generate vibrations and noise in the upper homes, although this does not affect those located on the first floor.
DIARIO DE AVISOS contacted Borja, who lived for about five years in the Los Ficus building, whose home has belonged to his grandmother for a long time. The house is located at the top of the building; However, she comments that “the noises are barely heard, you even get used to them” and that, perhaps, “What is most noticeable is the heat”. Another curiosity about this building is that “the roof is diagonal, instead of horizontal.” Likewise, when referring to the conditions of the building, he commented that works were necessary to repair and reinforce the foundations.
For its part, Luis E. Hernández Gutiérrezauthor of book ‘La Arena beach in Tacoronte: History of the stability of a slope’takes an interesting tour through the history of the coastal area where La Arena beach is located.
The work develops key aspects of the Canary Islands, but above all “it constitutes, from a technical point of view, an excellent example and reference of the study and treatment of instabilities in a rock mass of volcanic nature.”
In one of the headings he exposes the emergence of “the construction of the road that descends the cliff to the coast of Mesa del Mar and the subdivision and urbanization of this coastal space”, an idea promoted by the promoter and builder Arcadio Pérez Dorta. A curious fact is that even his own brothers told him that the idea was crazy, given the steep slope of the area and the composition of the terrain, but he had an innovative project in his hands.
Thus was born “the construction of a tourist complex in an uninhabited, inaccessible and narrow coastal strip.” Arcadio Pérez teamed up with the promoter Raymon Wilfart and the architect Carmelo Rodríguez and they brought this project to life.
As Luis E. Hernández Gutiérrez explains, “They defied nature and built an impossible road through the cliff”, allowing vehicle access to an isolated area. From this point, “They managed to fit the last stretch of road and an apartment building, Los Ficus, into a very small space”.
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF MESA DEL MAR
Thanks to the book ‘La Arena beach in Tacoronte: History of the stability of a hillside’ we discovered what we know today as Sea Table.
In its pages it not only explains the origin of the Los Ficus buildingbut rather goes through the evolution of the different works, such as “the imposing Mar y Sol hotel, built on a natural platform of basaltic flows at the edge of the sea” or the tunnel, which was a great benefit for the beach.
Thus, it exposes all the geological studies that have been developed due to the containment needs of the rock wall, as well as the works that have been carried out to keep the area safe.
Another event that took place, in 1990, was “the unpopular but correct decision to demolish the illegal homes.” Specifically, 84 shacks, houses and other buildings were demolished, giving the beach a new image.
Then, in 1993, “the conflict began over the possible partial demolition of the Mar y Sol building.” However, two years later it was determined that the expropriation of the hotel “leads to moral and economic damage, both for the municipality and for the 81 families and owners.” In short, “the building did not show any signs of ruin, it did not impede traffic along the coast and, furthermore, the construction was there with all the urban planning legalities in force at the time.”
Finally, with the work to improve this coastal area, which includes the installation of protection systems, La Arena beach receives the Blue flag. Thus, the actions that gave rise to the current Mesa del Mar, together with the improvements to the beach, gave greater prominence to this coastal area in the north of Tenerife, an isolated place 60 years ago.
