Magén Arquitectos. Outstanding materials used to create a landmark.

Following an administrative reshuffle, the town of Híjar in the province of Teruel (Spain) needed premises for its “comarca”, the administrative unit of Bajo Martìn. Spanish architectural studio Magén Arquitectos won the competition for ideas held in 2006 and recently completed its project.

The site is located in an anonymous setting on the national highway, inspiring the architects to design a landmark that would establish a link with its surroundings not only through visual continuity but through references to the culture of local materials.

Stone and alabaster quarries are an important pillar of local industry, and Magén uses the materials to establish dialogue between the project and its urban surroundings.

On the outside, the structure looks massive, lightened up only by horizontal openings, whereas the spaces inside it are permeated by natural light, an element defining the space through effects of chiaroscuro obtained with the alabaster walls and carefully studied positioning of the windows.

The building contains public offices on the ground floor and first floor, such as the lobby and the meeting hall, with offices on the second floor. The luminous interior is underlined by use of natural materials such as bamboo parquet, creating a pleasing contrast with the stone walls.

The building fits perfectly into its urban surroundings, which seem to be lit up by the monolith, with an intrinsic communicative power expressed by use of building materials that represent the town’s long history.


Design: Magén Arquitectos - Jaime Magén, http://www.magenarquitectos.com/
Assistants: Beatriz Olona, María Tejel (architects), José Luis Sánchez (quantity surveyor), Rafael González (engineer), José Sainz (structure)
Location: Híjar, Teruel (Spain)
Related links: Video of the construction: http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/watch?v=7U77N8ZO-Jg&list=UUfk34RiYfxLdo2cpA2hADxA&index=2&feature=plcp, article about the Environmental Department, Zaragoza, http://www.floornature.com/blog/when-architecture-becomes-a-symbol-of-environmental-sustainability-magandeacuten-arquitectos-7614/
Photographs: Pedro Pegenaute

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