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Magma Arts and Congress Center

Adeje, Tenerife, Spain
Artengo, Menis, Pastrana Arquitectos

Artengo, Menis, and Pastrana brings together primitive, brute forms in the Magma Arts and congress center to create a distinctive addition to Tenerife


Photo © Roland Halbe
   

By David Cohn

The volcanic crater at the heart of the island of Tenerife is often cited by Fernando Menis, until recently of the firm Artengo Menis Pastrana Arquitectos (AMP), as a “visible force” that informs the boldly expressive design of the Magma Arts and Congress Center in the town of Adeje. Designed nine years ago by AMP and largely overseen by Menis, who has now opened his own practice, the Magma Center shares the forceful character of AMP’S first major project, the Presidency Building in Tenerife’s capital of Santa Cruz [RECORD, March 2001, page 100].

It could be argued that the recently opened center, where irregular, bush-hammered concrete volumes gather in a rough precinct under a billowing white roof, also evokes Le Corbusier’s neoprimitive, sculptural architecture at Chandigarh, or even the monoliths of Stonehenge. While exhibiting compositional sophistication and a thorough study of programmatic requirements, the work finds expressive potential in the rough creative flux and effort of the poured construction process, somewhat analogous to the conversion of molten lava into stone in the surrounding landscape.

During the grueling building process, Menis worked with a small group of professionals and a tightly knit construction team, using to advantage the island’s relatively low labor costs. Other challenges, such as limited access to imported technologies and a tight budget—the final cost was $36 million for the 240,000-square-foot facility—led to many ingenious, hands-on solutions, such as the thin strips of fiber-cement panel to clad the elaborate roof structure of steel trusses and beams.

The Magma Center is one of the first important public buildings on the recently developed southern half of the island, 45 miles from Santa Cruz, in an area dedicated almost exclusively to tourism. Although initially planned as a convention center, facilities for theater and concerts were added midway through the design, including a fully equipped fly tower.

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the People

Owner
Canarias Congress Bureau Tenerife Sur Sa (CCBTS)

Architect
Artengo, Menis, Pastrana Arquitectos (AMP)—official architects

Menis Arquitectos
Calle Puerta Canseco, 35, 2º B
38003 Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain
T 0034 922 288838 F 0034 922 151925
www.menisarquitectos.com

Principal in charge of Project:
Fernando Menis

Partners:
Felipe Artengo, Jose Maria Pastrana

Assistant architects:
Esther Ceballos, Andreas Weighnacht, Ana Salinas

Project manager:
Fernando Merino

Interior designer:
Esther Ceballos, Fernando Menis, Carlos Lapresta

Engineer(s)
Structural:
Victor Martinez Segovia

Structural, exterior spaces:
 Juan Jose Gllardo

Acoustical:
Antonio Carrion, Pedro Cerda

Mechanical:
Milian Associates

Consultant(s)
Lighting:
Carlos Belda

Light sculptures:
Juan Gopar

Signage:
Miriam Durango

General contractor
Ute Congress (Necso, PPL)

Photographer(s)
Roland Halbe
contact@rolandhalbe.de
t 0049 711 6074073

CAD system, project management, or other software used
AutoCAD www.autodesk.com; Catia www.3ds.com

the Products

Roofing
Built-up roofing:
Naturvex www.naturvex.com

Doors
Fire-control doors, security grilles:
Alfa Torres

Interior finishes
Acoustical ceilings:
Naturvex www.naturvex.com

Paints and stains:
Julio Crespo www.juliocrespo.com

Floor and wall tile:
Parray (bathrooms)

Furnishings
Office furniture:
Uniofor www.unifor.it; Wilkahn www.wilkhahn.co.uk

Fixed seating:
Alis

Chairs:
Kusch www.kusch.de

Tables:
Kusch www.kusch.de

Upholstery:
Kvadrat www.kvadrat.dk

Other furniture:
Moroso www.moroso.it

Lighting
Task lighting:
Philips-Pacific www.philips.com

Exterior:
Philips-Norka www.philips.com

Conveyance
Elevators/Escalators:
Schindler www.schindler.com

Other
Audiovisual:
Bienvenido Gil www.bienvenidogil.com

CEM:
Chentrol

 
 
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