Orive Cultural Space
Córdoba ES
Francisco Gómez Díaz
Baum Lab
2009
Type
Cultural
Tags
renovations, heritage sites interventions, Cordoba´s historic quarter
Visitability
Allowed
Description
The former Sala Capitular (Chapter House) of the Convento de San Pablo (St Paul’s Convent) was separated from it, together with the orchard gardens of the Palacio de Orive (Orive Palace), almost a hectare in area, after the confiscation of Mendizábal in the 19th century, consolidating itself as a Romanesque ruin in the orchard, used for various purposes and, specifically, as a stable.Assigned to Hernán Ruíz II, it is a complex element that incorporates a possible doorway on the east side of an existing building, which was never completed according to the reports of the archaeological excavations conducted.The intervention, as a result of a competition organised by the Municipal Urban Planning Department, restored the ruin in its current unfinished state and provided it with the necessary elements to serve as a multi-purpose hall without altering the quality of an open public space that it had enjoyed since its construction in the 16th century. To do this, a roof was designed consisting of a framework of V-shaped beams – structural and for water drainage – on which a glass roof with an air chamber and sun protection is placed. The floor is made of cut and unpolished black stone, as used in the pavements of the historic centre, and all the facilities are covered by ‘walls’ of the same height as it is believed the masonry must have been, so that they are not perceptible.This powerful volume of 12 x 20 m and 13m in height is complemented by a smaller independent module made of prefabricated systems. It serves as a lobby, storeroom and toilets, so it does not detract from the power of the brick walls of the Chapter House, now converted into the Sala Orive (Orive Hall), where exhibitions, small concerts, book presentations, poetry readings in cosmopoetics, among other things, are held.( Description provided by the architects )