Project details

Fragments of Ceuta

Ángela García de Paredes, Ignacio García Pedrosa

Fragments of Ceuta

The city of Ceuta is situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, in the extreme north of Africa, its location mirroring the extreme south of the Iberian Peninsula. Due to its position at the confluence of different cultures, with nearby Mount Hacho flanking the Straits of Gibraltar - one of the columns of Hercules - the city has witnessed countless historical events, such as the capture of Ulysses by Calypso, the passage of the Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans and Visigoths, the settlement of the Marinids and Portuguese rule between 1415 and 1668, when the city was ceded to Spain under the Treaty of Lisbon, with the Lisbon flag remaining as Ceuta's flag to this day. 1 Due to the complexity of the context in which the library was to be located, which also incorporates a fragment of the medieval city, specifically from the Al-Andalus period, to complement the new building, the compact nature of the modern city and the steep topography, we felt that our proposal should have a certain unifying quality, leading to the harmonious coexistence of all these features. Therefore, the architecture of the library was born out of its very context, with the aim of providing a single interpretation for all these divergent principles, different eras and uses coming together: the interpretation and presentation of the vestiges of the past, different urban geometries and different levels projecting out of the rugged relief into a single unified image. Archaeology Thanks to this unifying intention, the task of building on top of previous constructions worked in favor of the project, giving archaeology a central and by no means marginal role in the new life gained by this urban site. The 4th century site has been fully incorporated into the structure with its interior spaces, which have been endowed with new functions and signaled as visible testimonies of the past, in harmony with the very role of the library. In the present case, the archaeological value of the Muslim al-Andalus al-Andalus lies in its urbanistic value, since the residential buildings were laid out according to a completely new orthogonal layout, different from the twisting layout characteristic of Islamic cities. The medieval part of Ceuta, traversed by two steep streets that define the layout of the houses and gardens, water towers and inner courtyards, preserving pictorial and ceramic remains, is positioned at a slant in relation to the modern part, and this double inclination establishes the triangular geometry of the seven columns that support the roof of the site and the slabs at the top. The geometry of the Muslim city thus coexists with that of the contemporary city, the two being unified by the triangular structure. In order to understand the remains of the medieval city and the objects extracted from it and exhibited on the side overlooking the site, you must first understand the people who built and lived in them. The walls that can be seen are those of an ordinary town, and the objects are those that were used by ordinary people of another age. The remarkable paintings that were excavated before the construction of the library began are particularly delicate and valuable, proving that this was a society that appreciated and loved art. When we removed the mounds of earth that had protected the site during construction, uncovering previously unseen historic walls, we were surprised to discover a familiar city, colorful ceramic floors, water tanks and ovens, everyday objects from another time that would now play a starring role on the stage of the new library. The pillars were integrated into the documented spaces that had been covered with earth since the site was excavated in 1995. The solid structure consisting of the seven pillars and the concrete slab at the top creates an extended archaeological space, over which the library floors are placed, in the form of a lightweight modular steel structure. The archaeologically valuable interior is surrounded by reading terraces, which are intended to increase transparency and visually connect the library spaces with past urban fragments. Several openings to the city bring it into contact with the interior, but also connect the city of then with the city of now. Groups of suspended light fixtures, with the same triangular geometry pointing in the direction of the former streets, illuminate the remains of walls in a continuous and abstract interior space, bathing it in light and emphasizing the visual impression of depth.
Read the full text in Arhitectura 5/2013
Note: 1 'The Pillars of Hercules' is the name used in antiquity for the promontory flanking the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The columns as such are the Rock of Gibraltar in Europe and Mount Hacho in Ceuta, Africa. The columns represented the boundary of the known world before the discovery of America.
The city of Ceuta stands between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, in the far north of Africa and in a position that reflects the far south of the Iberian Peninsula. It is precisely because of this location, at the confluence of different cultures, with Monte Hacho flanking the Strait of Gibraltar as one of the "Pillars of Hercules", that its history recalls such ancient deeds as those of Ulysses, trapped there by Calypso, the passage of Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans and Visigoths, the Marinid settlement and Portuguese domination from 1415 until 1668, when it was ceded to Spain under the Treaty of Lisbon, the flag of Lisbon remaining as Ceuta's standard.1 The complexity of the setting for the library, which incorporates within a fragment of mediaeval Ceuta from the al-Andalus era as an additional element of the new building, the compressed nature of today's city and the sharp topography, prompted us to feel that our proposal should have a unifying quality which would allow different features to exist in harmony. The library's architecture was, then, born out of its setting with the aim of offering one single reading of so many diverging principles, with different times and different uses living side by side: reading and the presentation of the remains of the past, different urban geometries and different levels jutting out from the harsh topography, to offer an image of unification. Archaeology With this unifying intent, the fact of constructing on top of previous constructions worked in favor of the project, giving archaeology a central role in the new life generated at this point of the city, rather than relegating it to a dark basement. The remains of the 14th-century site were incorporated, together with the naturalness of its interior spaces, populated with a new function and anchored as an open document of the past in harmony with the role of the library. In this case, though, the archaeological value of the Muslim city of al-Andalus is its urban value in itself, as the residential properties were given a completely new orthogonal layout, far removed from the familiar labyrinthine arrangements of Islamic town planning. The meshwork of mediaeval Ceuta, criss-crossed by two sharply sloping streets providing the structure for a city of houses and market gardens, water towers and courtyards, with remains of painting and ceramics, is tilted askew from that of the current city, with the skew in both directions establishing the triangular geometry of the seven columns which support the roof of the site and the top slab covering it. The geometry of the Muslim city thus coexists with that of the contemporary city, the triangular structural grid unifying the two. In order to understand the remains of the mediaeval city and the objects extracted from it, exhibited on one side looking over the site, one must understand the people who built them and lived in them. The walls which can be seen are those of an everyday city, and the objects those used by the everyday people of another era. The beautiful paintings excavated before work began on the library, however, are particularly delicate and valuable, prompting us to reflect on a society with an appreciation for art. When we removed the piles of earth protecting the site during the works, revealing before our eyes archaeological walls never previously seen, the surprise lay in discovering a familiar city, colored ceramic flooring, water tanks and ovens, everyday objects belonging to another era which now share a starring role on the stage of the new library. The pillars were sunk blind into the documented spaces of the site, which had been covered over with earth since it was excavated in 1995. The solid structure of the seven pillars and the concrete top slab cover the extensive archaeological space, with the remaining floors of the library stacked on top, with a light, steel, modular structure. Surrounding the archaeological interior, the reading terraces achieve transparency and a visual link between the spaces of the library and the fragments of the city of the past. A number of individual openings towards the city bring it into contact with the interior, and also link the cities of then and now. Groups of suspended lamps, with the same triangular geometry indicating the direction of the former streets, illuminate the remains of the walls in a continuous and abstract interior, bathing the space in light and serving to give its depth visual proportion.
Read the full text in the print magazine.
Note: 1. "Pillars of Hercules" is the ancient name given to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. They are Gibraltar in Europe and Monte Hacho in Ceuta in Africa. They were the limit of the known world until America was discovered.

Photos © Fernando Alda Alda www.fernandoalda.com