Preliminary Study of Dune Park Hotel

P.E.T.-01 Almonte (Huelva) 2014

In a pre-park area, between the A494 road and the sea, next to Matalascañas, occupying a former municipal concession campsite, there is a desire to house a hotel.

The tertiary plot has a very rugged topography. On the edge with the easement line of the maritime-terrestrial public domain, it presents a strip with an average height of 48 m above sea level and an average width of 35 m. The rest of the plot is a depression that goes down to the 36 m level, with slopes of around 60%. The plot designated for green areas is located in this hollow, and the parking area fluctuates from 44 to 50 m.

The hotel is positioned on the ledge of the plot, bordering the easement limit, and atop the dune park.

The topography and planning constraints force a longitudinal development with sections mirroring the edge of the plot.

The entire building rests on a light platform that stretches across the cliff, forming an agora that houses the pool and where life unfolds. Lounges, restaurants, cafés, and other establishments have a facade overlooking the square with an infinite view of the sea.

The proposal, a building with zero impact, harmoniously sits on the sandbanks. The hotel blends with the surroundings. Sand, wood, and water are the fundamental elements with which this tertiary universe is constructed. The entirety is projected in bare wood, without color.

The two-story building and its paths snake over the ledge, adapting to the topography without touching it. From the beach, it remains hidden. The intervention also proposes the restoration and revegetation of the slopes leading up to the cliffs and spaces adjacent to the walkways accessing the beach. Choosing native species in lesser density than what is present in the forest area. The botanical foundation is set by pines, white brooms, and cistuses. The vegetation of the terraces and platforms is confined to planters distributed throughout the open space. The botanical composition will reference the territory in which the building is located, selecting those Mediterranean species that provide appropriate textures, volumes, and chromaticities for the place.