Factorías de salazón
archaeology as public infrastructure
An award-winning proposal transforming the Roman salting factories of ancient Iulia Traducta into an archaeological park capable of regenerating a neglected public space in Algeciras
Business challenge
An archaeologically significant site isolated from the city, disconnected from public life
and surrounded by degraded urban
space
Bottleneck identified
Heritage protection often generates enclosed and inactive spaces with little relationship
to the surrounding urban fabric
Strategic approach
Transform the archaeological site
from an isolated enclosure into an
active extension of the public park
Implementation
Reversing the access strategy,
removing the perimeter barrier
and integrating archaeology,
landscape and public circulation
into a single system
Outcome
By reversing the access strategy,
removing the perimeter barrier
and integrating archaeology,
landscape and public circulation
into a single system
The project emerged after the discovery of the archaeological remains by the research team from the University of Cádiz, led by Rafael Jiménez-Camino and Darío Bernal, preventing the site from being replaced
by a residential tower similar to the adjacent development
Despite its historical significance, the archaeological site remained isolated behind a perimeter wall, disconnected from the city and accessed only through a narrow secondary street with little public presence. At the same time, the adjacent Acacias Park had become a neglected and underused public space with little relationship to the surrounding neighbourhood
The proposal completely reverses the logic of access and urban integration.Rather than treating the site as an isolated archaeological enclosure, the intervention removes the existing wall and transforms the park into the main entrance and public interface of the project, while San Nicolás Street becomes a secondary technical access for archaeological maintenance and operational use.
This strategic inversion integrates the archaeological site into the daily life of the park, allowing heritage, landscape and public space to operate as a single civic system capable of revitalising the surrounding urban environment
Despite its historical significance, the archaeological site remained isolated behind a perimeter wall, disconnected from the city and accessed only through a narrow secondary street with little public presence. At the same time, the adjacent Acacias Park had become a neglected and underused public space with little relationship to the surrounding neighbourhood
The proposal completely reverses the logic of access and urban integration.Rather than treating the site as an isolated archaeological enclosure, the intervention removes the existing wall and transforms the park into the main entrance and public interface of the project, while San Nicolás Street becomes a secondary technical access for archaeological maintenance and operational use.
This strategic inversion integrates the archaeological site into the daily life of the park, allowing heritage, landscape and public space to operate as a single civic system capable of revitalising the surrounding urban environment
TEAM
Alejandro Costa. Diseño y Dirección de Obra
Nora Van Pelt. Delineación y levantamiento de planos
Juan Manuel Casado. Dirección de ejecución y Licencia
de Actividad
Juan Manuel Casado Gallán. Licencia de Actividad
Proinstalia. Instalación eléctrica
Climatiza. Clima y ventilación
FOTOGRAFÍA
Love Ladrillo
