Mi5 + PKMN: Underground Leisure Lair

Mi5 Arquitectos and PKMN Architecture have completed a new underground leisure space in a public square of Teruel, Spain, close to the location where, in 1987, the first dinosaur remains in the Iberian Peninsula were found. Teruel's underground has since been turned into a tourist destination with thematic parks such as Dinópolis, reminding us of the lost existence of a powerful life-form. In the face of an obsolete and underused market building occupying most of the meager public space of a central square, the decision was made to introduce a new volume with space for youth leisure activities.

The underground space seeks to revitalize the area and foster Teruel's urban activity, while the old public square is regained. According to the architects, the project takes the form of a buried Godzilla, an element of contemporary pop expression. This big buried volume pushes away the earth's surface, cracking it to produce a new urban topography. Embedding and camouflage strategies allow the creation of a large public facility, both inside and outside, without disrupting the existing urban fabric on the old city center. Visitors will maneuver this new public square by moving down in between the stratums, where different kinds of activities will be held frequently.

This program of activities will allow for new dialogues with the historic city area, which in Teruel holds a prominent place. This experimental typology is an investigation that pushes the boundaries of structural means and technical regulations to generate new ways of achieving densification, thus setting up a scenario of public enhancement, historical urban fabric revitalization and intensification of city life.

Mi5 Arquitectos + PKMN Architecture: Underground Leisure Lair and Public Space
Project: Mi5 arquitectos + PKMN [pac-man] architecture
Client: Urban Teruel. Teruel City Council
Architectural Technologists: María del Carmen Nombela and Ana Macipe
Structure Engineering: Mecanismo Diseño y Cálculo de Estructuras S.L.
Systems Engineering: Solventa Ingenieros Consultores S.L.
Geotechnics: Geodeser S.A.
Topography: Julia del Toro
Contractors: Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (F.C.C.)
Location: Plaza Domingo Gascón, Teruel, Spain
Building completion period: 2008-2011
Budget: 7,574,459 euros
Area: 3,600 square metres urbanization, 3005 square metres of built area
Main materials: composite steel and concrete structure