Neighborhood Group Demands Redesign of "Obsolete" Port-City Project
The La Arboleda neighborhood association plans to propose a re-examination of the "obsolete" 1998 design for the long-awaited Port-City building, advocating for a public ideas competition to create a more modern concept.
The La Arboleda neighborhood association, representing the capital districts of Salamanca, Uruguay, and Las Acacias, plans to propose at the next District Tagoror that the design of the future Port-City building be re-examined. This building, which will be located on the Link Pier, has been awaited for over 30 years. It will finally move forward following a recent agreement between the Port Authority, the Cabildo, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the Santa Cruz City Council. This deal involves an 80-million-euro investment to undertake the construction.
The building's concept, which architects Herzog and De Meuron won in 1998, includes a new cruise terminal, two ferry terminals, a commercial and restaurant area, parking, and pedestrian walkways on the deck that will connect the city with the port. However, La Arboleda views this as an "already obsolete project." They describe it as a reinforced concrete building with hardly any glass panels connecting it to the sea, which they argue is its main purpose.
Therefore, the association will request a public ideas competition to improve this project "in line with new times," suggesting it should feature staggered terraces and rounded floors.