This landscape intervention by the Granada-based firm KAUH – Vincent Morales Garoffolo and Juan Antonio Sánchez Muñoz – reclaims the unique heritage site of La Hoya for the city of Almería. La Hoya is a gorge located on the edge of the historic quarter, between the hills of the monumental Alcazaba and San Cristóbal complexes, and crossed by the square towers of the Wall of Jayrān. In medieval times it was occupied by a neighborhood, then was abandoned and used for centuries as an agricultural space, finally declining and becoming a huge forgotten vacant site.

The project maintains the configuration of a landscape that comprises a monumental setting, an archaeological reserve, and a sanctuary of flora and fauna in the city center, and is also a celebration of the semi-arid Mediterranean climate and a reflection of Almería’s culture of water. The top of the ancient dike on Calle Luna becomes a balcony offering a panoramic view of the park. The preexisting terraces are also kept intact, with their walls restored, and the network of water channels that once irrigated the different crops cultivated on the terraces has been returned. To make this possible, two pools that served as reservoirs for the network have again been put to use. The project includes intermediate diversion boxes and basins that help regulate the flow of water, along with multiple features that provide sound, contributing to the atmosphere of the place.

In Almería, the term parata refers to an agricultural terrace, and balate is the wall that retains it. The traditional dry-stone construction of these walls is a technique that UNESCO has declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The project has maintained the structure of terraces and walls of the farmstead that was established on the site in the 19th century.

Rows of diverse species of trees and wild meadows of herbaceous plants and crops result in a formal organicity that the slopes preserve and regenerate. At the bottom of La Hoya Park is a large continuous plain that provides protection for possible archaeological assets underground, detectable by georradar.

Video: Mediterranean Gardens of La Hoya in Almería (in construction)

Video: Mediterranean Gardens of La Hoya in Almería