Home > Magazine > Issues > #29 Sep/Oct 2009 > Lookout, Elche

Lookout, Elche

Palm grove lookout

ELCHE (ES) - STAR's answer to icon architecture is a giant wheel.

The city of Elche (pop. 230,000) is located on the east coast of Spain. Recently, its city council, in collaboration with the Valencia Community College's department of architecture, held an international competition to design a lookout point over one of the largest palm groves in the world, the Palmeral of Elche. The competition was won by STAR, a Rotterdam-based studio headed by the Spanish architect Beatríz Ramo.

The competition had a dual objective; firstly, to provide the city with an emblematic lookout from which to admire the Palmeral of Elche. The second objective was to enhance the value of the traditional Arabian-style palm grove and its many date orchards, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. The competition was organized in two stages: an initial open stage in which two entrants were selected to proceed to the second stage where they competed against five leading international firms. The two studios chosen in the first stage were the aforementioned STAR and the young Alicante-based studio YIC. The international firms invited to take part in the second round were SANAA, MVRDV, Ábalos-Sentkiewicz + Arquitectura Agronómia, Martínez Lapeña + Torres architects, and Foster & Partners (who subsequently withdrew).

Understandably, given the current global financial crisis, economic feasibility was a major deciding factor in selecting a winner. The city mayor and the jury decided that STAR's daring proposal met this criterion best, as it proposed turning the lookout into a commercial venture while simultaneously giving the city a new landmark – a giant wheel – that would put it on the international map. STAR's strategy was very intelligent. Instead of the usual eye-catching iconic form, they suggested a structure that would be dynamic, easy to lease, popular with sponsors and a good venue for events. Their winning proposal also offers a landmark that can be used by all citizens, not just tourists. Apart from the giant wheel, the programme includes an underground car park, a public square, an exhibition centre and a new train station for Elche. The 'observatory' wheel is just the icing on the cake of a whole new focus for the city.

The other proposals were for more conventional and less daring lookouts: a vertical and geometric walkway inspired by the palm trees (MVRDV); a lookout plus cafeteria with a 20-metre overhang (Martínez Lapeña + Torres); an oversized building encased in glass that reflects the entire palm grove (Ábalos-Sentkiewicz + Arquitectura Agronómia). Environmental sustainability was addressed by several designs, including that by the other first-stage winner, YIC. STAR's winning proposal, on the other hand, would radically change the natural landscape of the palm grove, and some people think this project could jeopardize its World Heritage status.