Explanation of the Final Location

Explanation of the Final Location

After two weeks analazing the triangle Juromenha-Olivenza-Ajuda I finaly have found the exact

place for the Transborder Landscape Observatory.

The place had to be within this location of the triangle and also on the only existing frontier,

the Guadian River. With this two main constrains and also one technical constrain, the span od

the bridge shouldn’t be more than 200m from side to side I started to search for the final

place.

The chosen place is nearby the old Ajuda bridge and the Hermida da nossa senhora de Ajuda.

This place fulfils all the previusly signed constrains without breaking the current heritage and

gives me the oportunity to “dialogue” with the existing heritage. On this area, around 500m

from the Ajuda bridge in direction to Badajoz I’m able to find a series of interesting situations.

A strong visual Relation with the exsiting heritage.

I pretend to stablish a dialogue with the exsiting heritage that in a certain way allows us to

“understand” the previous situation and problems that existed between both countries. This

Heritage will be always act in my project as an element that will help me look forward

(“looking back in order to look forward”).

This dialogue has to be respectuful but at the same time fresh and “bold”. Achieve the

fulfilment of these two elements of the dialogue will be a challenge.

By placing the new bridge pavilion near but not next to the exisiting heritage the dialogue

starts to be stablished, is the first step. I noticed that by creating this bridge there is something

missing on the spanish side of the river. On the portuguese you find the old bridge and right

next to it the hermida da Nossa Senhora de Ajuda. The visual relation between these two is

very strong and bu there is something missing. In order to enhance and make a stronger

relation between the pre-existing and the new I am placing also at the en of the birfge pavilion

and in top of one of the high places next to the bridge a more vertical element that will work

partly also as a landmark. This element will balance the relation between pre existing and new

and also will create a balance between both sides of the frontier. The dialogue is stablished

and now more balanced.

In the area I amd creating in a way an “iconic” place with a dialogue between the two pre-

existing elements of the heritage and the new settlement.

Span. I am able to respect the technical constrain of the span, having a total span of 130m.