Convention Centre Renovation Project

Description

Intervening in an existing building and a place rich in history inevitably implies a positioning of how the intervention on the heritage and its impact on the environment is understood.Located in the heart of the old Jewish quarter and a stone’s throw from the Mosque‐Cathedral of Córdoba, the renovation project of the Conference and Exhibition Centre of Córdoba involved the search for a strategy capable of providing a new layer or stratum to a building that has undergone multiple interventions throughout its life. At the same time, the strategy adopted pursued a non-invasive way of eliminating additions, unveiling hidden elements and creating a welcoming atmosphere with a contemporary language, as well as incorporating the technical needs of a new and flexible conference space while engaging in dialogue with the existing elements.The project includes major interventions throughout the entire area, such as new openings to give light and visibility to the singular points, the provision of zenithal light to the main staircase, the elimination of architectural barriers, the renovation and technical upgrading of the smaller rooms around the covered courtyard, new toilets on the ground floor, new connections, etc.  However, the intervention focuses on the main space where most of the life of the conference centre or auditorium takes place, increasing its capacity from 540 to 750 seats.One of the premises to be addressed was to achieve a warm and comfortable space that, with a contemporary language, would refer to classical theatres, using materials such as natural wood and reddish fabrics, the whitewashed walls of the original sanitary buildings and their coffered ceilings.Thus, the ceiling of the hall extends like an undulating sheet that wraps around the front and back of the hall to become the floor and the podium, only interrupted to let the light shine down on the podium. All of this is flanked by the acoustic side walls of natural wood and white glaze, which are intended to evoke a lattice.The geometry of the ceiling is the result of an acoustic study that seeks to guarantee adequate reflection of the waves in each part of the hall, originating in the podium, whose opaque flanks act as reflectors for the rest of the auditorium. Both the ceiling and the side walls are designed in the project to ensure the right degree of sound absorption, so that they are an integral part of the intervention.If there is one thing that makes the Conference and Exhibition Centre of Córdoba special, it is its history and its context, which is why not only is the wall of the old Moorish Alcazar and its rampart enhanced, but a direct visual relationship is established between it and the auditorium with a large window behind the podium. This allows the spectators to enjoy a unique place full of history, as well as providing natural light for those events that require it, such as exhibitions, workshops, etc.( Description provided by the architects )