The former Riquer Gate once gave access to the city of Alcoy from the old Madrid high road, wich reached it by way of the steep banks of the Barxell eiver. When the María Cristina bridge was built in the last century, the area began to decline into its current marginality. Siza’s project seeks the urban regeneration of the area through a combi­nation of initiatives: the conservation of a few existing buildings, the demolition of all that is now in ruins, and the construction of new buildings that will contribute to the neighborhood's redefinition. In addition to this archi­tectural component, the project foresees a series of land­scape and urban design interventions wich will permit the integration of the neighborhood with its natural surround­ings and the rest of the city. Various areas of new paving have been designed, as well as a walkway wich will border the steep riverbank, defining a hard edge for the natural landscaping of the terrain beyond it. The new building follow the existing typology of the area, whose siting responds more to a picturesque than a geometric order. Two of the new buildings frame a new urban staircase which narrows as it rises, creating a false perspective towards the spot where the actual Riquer Gate once stood... [+]