Plaza de Galicia

2007. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

The Plaza de Galicia is a relevant space in Santiago de Compostela, it is the southern entrance to the old pedestrian center. Today, the Plaza de Galicia is a space dominated by traffic, access to underground parking and bus and taxi stops. An island surrounded by fragmented asphalt in small spaces that does not respond to the role of its dimensions and the strategic position it plays in the urban fabric of Santiago.

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The proposal aims to turn the Plaza de Galicia into a space in line with this situation. A public anteroom, a collective foyer, from which to access the interior of the plot of pedestrian streets of the old town. A urban hinge located between the urban layout of the Ensanche and the medieval town.

The square is connected to the west sidewalk avoiding its current island character. The entrances to the underground parking are modified using the old ramp to give a service of urban bicycles. Trees are planted on the way to the old town. A pergola-like construction, punched with a motif reminiscent of traditional vines, envelops the square protecting it from the sun and rain, qualifying the waiting space for buses and housing a cafeteria with its terrace to give activity to the square .