Alora in the province of Malaga boasts a rich history: on the "hill of towers", Cerro de las Torres, the first fortifications were created by the Phoenicians, rebuilt by the Romans, and destroyed by the barbarians. The current castle was erected on the same site by the Arabs: now it is located outside the city center, in the ancient Arrabal - a suburb, known, in addition to the events of the Reconquista, as the place where the type of flamenco - malagenyi was created.
The castle is popular with tourists, but the path leading from the city to it and the surrounding hill in a circle is dilapidated, like the rest of the infrastructure. Madrid Bureau WaterScales won the competition for the "revalorization" of the historical monument and the surrounding landscape with the project "Tapestry in 1: 1 scale": a kind of stone map that helps visitors to understand the historical landscape of Alora, the Sierra del Acho mountains and the Guadalhorce valley …
One of the stages of the project was the Mirador 360º observation terrace. It is located on the main bend of the historic route from the city to the castle, from where panoramic views of the surrounding area, including the mountain peak Acho, open. Also from there you can see the castle itself, the Gothic chapel
revered local image of Jesus, the pattern of the winding streets of Alora.
Instead of a pink concrete wall blocking the path, the architects used more restrained materials. In the lower part, gabions with local sandstone were used; the metal of their mesh should be covered with rust. The metal balustrade going above is deliberately "ephemeral". In the final tape, names and historical periods associated with Alra are carved, and on top of it there are index names that help to figure out where these or those sights are located.
Granite was used for paving: large square blocks with a rough surface in the center, smaller and smooth ones at the edges. On the actual site, a pattern of concentric circles is applied, leading to the center - a marble circle marking the eighth place of standing during
worship of the Way of the Cross on the traditional route for the faithful of Alora. Since this is the episode when Jesus meets the crying women of Jerusalem, the architects placed two marble pedestals next to them, symbolizing these women.
Within the framework of the project, the slope of the hill received natural landscaping for this area and does not require special care: shrubs, lavender, prickly capers.
