The Project is located in the green zone where “Sa Cova Son Caulelles” is found, in Pórtol, Marratxí. It lies on a very irregular site, due to an existing old sandstone quarry. Due to time and the surrounding environment, the quarry is now covered by a layer of topsoil and lush vegetation, which is dominated by the Mediterranean Pine.
The objective of the intervention in reference to the site, which is limited by Costa i Llobera street, the municipal sports centre and the Son Caulelles geriatric residence, is to join the latter to form part of it.
The project proposal consists of a timely accessible “promenade” in the most rugged area of the plot to reach this small heritage corner. It proposes an adapted route which also overcomes the existing ground level differences. It offers a path which seems to have been worked from the same land, which is achieved through the choice of materiality. It is defined by a floor of unattended concrete which is of an earthy colour, a sandstone curb that looks like it’s emerging from the ground, and a dry stone coastal wall (marge), very common in the limits of the urban forest environment of the municipality of Marratxí.
Following this constructive and landscape tradition of the municipality with regard to the dry stone wall, so characteristic of the Balearic Islands, the only boundary accessible from the street that the project has been defined by this type of wall with “king’s foot” faces. At the same time it generates the façade of the project and defines at both ends the two entrances to the archaeological site by means of two marés milestones (fites). The main entrance is an extension of the geriatric residence through which the user accesses, while the secondary entrance is the access for maintenance work.
Finally, this archaeological park offers two wonderful resting places for users, one next to the entrance where a large pinus halepensis provides shade during the first hours of the day and the other, a small bench as an “agora” located at the end of the route and facing the Cave of Son Caulelles.
