Portal de Murcia

www.portaldemurcia.com

• Home
• Business
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• News
• Advertisement

| The historic stones will be recovered as part of the new sidewalks, reusing the extracted material and creating new pedestrian spaces | The Mayor of Murcia, José Ballesta, together with the Councilor for Sustainable Mobility and Youth, Rebeca Pérez, the Councilor for Sustainable Development and Huerta, Antonio Navarro; and the councilor for Culture and Heritage Recovery, Jesús Pacheco, attended today the beginning of the demolition of the walls of the Old Prison.In total, five walls are going to be thrown: one, the side one, which faces the Hospital de La Vega, and another four interior walls that face the patios of the Old Prison.

This will allow to open the building and gain pedestrian space, since new sidewalks will be built.Precisely these new sidewalks will be composed of the material of the walls itself, as a historical reminder, since the almost centennial stones will be recovered and installed on the ground.José Ballesta pointed out that “on June 1 the works of Phase I of the Old Prison began, a strategic city project that is conceived as a great public space of reference in the heart of Murcia, with a pedestrian environment open to all Murcians, without barriers and with permanent activity ”.With a 12-month execution period and a budget of 1.9 million euros, the recovery of the building of the former Provincial Prison of Murcia, “will become a bright, open and participative space, respectful of the past and projecting towards the future to return to Murcia what is theirs, "said the mayor," adding that "the new configuration gives prominence to the pedestrian, enabling new squares and gardens for the stay and pedestrian spaces and accesses, following the principles of the Murcia plan.

Pedestrian".Structure foundationThe operators have already removed the interior partitioning of the first floor of this historic building (East and West buildings) and the next step will consist of removing the rubble from all the interior floors, executing the foundation of the structure and changing Of the cover.

The operators are collecting the extracted material, since it will be reused within the improvement of the property itself.More than 50% of the works budget, that is, 1 million euros, have been financed through the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020, within the framework of the DUSI Murcia Strategy.In addition to the recovery of the main building, which has a total built area of ??1,322 m2, and its adaptation for uses of a social, cultural and recreational nature (with an exhibition hall, conference room, space for historical memory, etc.), Landscaped outdoor spaces will be created and new pedestrian accesses will be opened around the property and from different sides of the building, as well as a bike path."The courtyards to the west and south originally closed will become squares linked and open to this new pedestrian environment in which the pedestrian area multiplies by eight, going from 370 to 2,800 square meters, a new space that will culminate the healthy axis that constitutes Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio, passing through La Circular ”, indicated José Ballesta.91 years of historyThe building of the old Provincial Prison of Murcia, which has been closed for 39 years, is listed as a Unique Element and is characterized by its cross-plan architectural arrangement, creating a set of separate rooms and landscaped courtyards.

It was built at the beginning of the 20th century, inaugurated in June 1929 and closed in 1981.Phase I: head buildingThe head or building of access to the complex, in which the presence of a coat of arms of the province of Murcia stands out above the access door, is proposed as a completely permeable property open to the city, where the citizen may transit perimeter or through of the existing patio without architectural barriers.Conservation of the old towersBoth the right wing and the left wing of the building, which are currently divided, will be connected by a glazed module located on the rear facade of the building, so that the perception of the main facade does not change.In addition, public spaces located in each of the two naves of the building will be created and there will be an access with reception on the ground floor for the three public spaces, with a vertical communication nucleus.The old watchtowers and the northeast outer perimeter wall (adjacent to the Post Office) will be maintained.

In these perimeters a lattice of metal profiles and variable spacing will be installed, seeking the total permeability of the patios with the city and a greater sense of spaciousness in the urban environment that the building reveals to the citizen.Phase II, next stepThe City Council is already working on Phase II and will shortly put out to tender the specifications for the award of the execution project, which will comprise a total area of ??8,000 m2.The two construction phases support the idea that the main building and the panopticon building work independently, and a third access will be opened from the north-west of the center to the north module.

These three entrances will enhance the opening and flexibility of the complex, enabling different modes of operation depending on the needs of the center.Committee of Experts on Cultural MattersThe Committee of Experts on Cultural Matters convened to study the different uses of this property has defined the Old Prison as a "multi-purpose cultural emblem".According to the minutes of the conclusions of the meetings of this team of experts, “the coincidence is unanimous when considering that the architectural and spatial structure of the building (cross plan, with large adjacent courtyards), its uniqueness and its history, demand a space for fusion of influences and cultures, open-ended, not specialized in a specific discipline ”.Thus, it is established that "the public space must not be corset with rigid uses, but must be defined with a flexible character, open to any influence or future trends in cultural and avant-garde matters."Además aconsejan “mantener las celdas en planta baja del módulo Este, con una superficie de 196,5 m2, con objeto de no perder la memoria de lo que fue el interior de edificio en su totalidad y proveer multitud de espacios de diferentes dimensiones y posibilidades, creando una riqueza espacial y de usos”.Los expertos estiman que los patios adyacentes pueden utilizarse como terrazas, para proyección o eventos culturales durante estivales.

“Se trataría de crear un ‘mall’ cultural y polivalente, fusión de ocio y cultura, sin especialización en una disciplina concreta”, indican las conclusiones.Asimismo proponen mantener el auditorio previsto pues su ampliación resulta arquitectónicamente inviable.

Asimismo, se indica la necesidad de habilitar espacios de entrada y espera lateral, con el fin de poder acceder de forma directa a la zona del auditorio.

En este sentido, se manifiesta que el acceso posterior al auditorio por medio de un vestíbulo perimetral es esencial para su funcionamientoEl área central del panóptico debe ser diáfana, luminosa y flexible.

Este espacio se plantea como polivalente pudiendo acoger diversas actividades a la vez que se configura como el punto neurálgico de los flujos del proyecto.

Source: Ayuntamiento de Murcia