PFC
The illegal settlement of Cañada Real, in Madrid, is an informal linear city whose main urban problems are the lack of public space and basic supplies.
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With the intention of solving this two issues at the same time, the use of the portico is recovered as a structure able to enhance public life in the city. So, a structure of order is overlapped over the current informal fabric. The potential and opportunity of the portico does not lie in its simbolism, but in its ability to become a community structure. A new monumental character is set by making energy and its consumption visible.
From functional aspects such as supply and sanitation, the structure of the portico is inserted into public space by different hierarchical orders, like a tree-shaped organism. These orders are synchronized with the evolution of the settlement through time. The flexibility of the portico allows itself to be adapted to many different urban situations over Cañada Real development, connecting it to contiguous urban areas.
The new dwellings emerge as an extension of the portico infrastructure. A number of housing units are set around courtyards as clusters, being able to evolve through time considering people needs.
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Puerta Madrid. Infrastructure, public space and social housing in Cañada Real.