The geological viewing point by Puerto & Sánchez Arquitectos, consists of an architectural element from which the landscape can be seen but which is also situated within it, conceived as a curved element of minimal impact that blends with its surroundings, with small retaining walls that allow the straight sections to be supported by a pillar located at the central intersection, ensuring the structure of the viewing point with minimal impact.
With an enclosure made up of groups of vertical perimeter plates, each formed by an arrow that marks the position, the viewing point forms a discreet pictogram that, together with its sculptural character achieved through the use of corten steel, manages to be an example of a resistant and adequate work, capable of withstanding the passage of time and its inhabitants.
Farrapona Geological Viewpoint by Puerto & Sánchez Arquitectos. Photograph by Jose Ramón Puerto Álvarez.
Project description by Puerto & Sánchez Arquitectos
To revitalize a municipality of just over 1,000 inhabitants in a mountainous area where communications are very precarious is not an easy task; it is necessary to activate multiple agents in order to produce a positive effect on the actions carried out. The Asturian council of Somiedo has shown that it can be done thanks to the implementation of a Tourism Sustainability Plan, an initiative that came from the Secretary of State for Tourism and that sought to promote the transformation of the tourism model in Spain in the interest of greater sustainability. The Plan was also co-financed by the Government of the Principality of Asturias through the Ministry of the Presidency, Demographic Challenge, Equality and Tourism and, as the promoter and catalyst of all the actions, the Somiedo City Council. The joint action of all the administrations allowed the developed Plan to bear fruit, as will now be explained in detail, it has created a quality architectural product that transcends the local, and which is expected to become a reference at the regional and even national level.
Poor communications have preserved a privileged environment, a very important part of which is the Somiedo Natural Park, where the thatched-roof pastures are still standing and receive cattle of the Asturian breed from the valleys. Wild fauna, especially the bear, once again walks through these mountains and the mass tourism of other parts of our country is not present. The synergy that all of the above generates has caused the problem to be made into a virtue and has materialized in a series of actions that have highlighted ethnographic elements or points of great landscape and geological interest, the most relevant example of which is the construction of an architectural reference such as the geological viewing point of the Saliencia valley or of the Farrapona.
Created through a public competition, which was born from an idea that was contributed by the Faculty of Geology of the University of Oviedo, from the very beginning the commitment to the quality of the element to be created was present, associated with terms that are sometimes used more out of fashion than conviction, but which were present in this process and were valued throughout the process: sustainability, accessibility, integration into the environment and didactic capacity were both starting points and final objectives at all times.
The aim was not to find an element with a domestic or utilitarian character, but rather to be "something more", to be "inspiring" and to have the capacity to attract those who saw it for the first time, provoking the desire to go and visit it. After various tests, an expressive gesture, the drawing of a bow, ended up giving an answer to the geometry and operation of the viewing point that allows, with this layout, to access from the path, to view in a 360º movement the entire valley of Saliencia with its geological elements, and to come out again with a certain naturalness.
The material to be used in the construction was also clear from the start: Cor-Ten steel, a material that protects itself when it rusts, seemed ideal for withstanding the elements in a place where winter temperatures reach 20 degrees below zero and snow can accumulate more than a metre thick. The fact that, a short distance away, there are the remains of the Santa Rita iron mine, in operation from 1805 to 1978, is a particular nod to the place in the choice of material.
Some dissenting voices have argued that the viewing point is unnecessary, pointing out that there are hundreds of points from which the views are spectacular and very similar to those that can be seen from it, but they ignore the fact that there are people with reduced mobility who cannot access these places, which deprives them of experiencing the feeling of emptiness that they will have at the viewing point, making them feel like they are hanging in the immensity of the valley, in a natural environment to which, normally, and due to the rugged topography, they have limited access. If it was essential to facilitate access for people, it was also necessary to limit the passage of livestock in the area, mainly Asturian valley cows, which was solved by choosing the right pavement materials: tramex in the first few metres to function as a "Canadian crossing" to prevent animals from accessing it, and multi-perforated teardrop metal in the rest to allow easy passage for people and wheelchairs, also guaranteeing proper drainage to facilitate the rapid evacuation of rainwater.
The essence of a viewing point is to be an architectural element from which the landscape can be seen and, at the same time, to be located in it, which is not a minor issue. How it should be placed on the ground was a point that generated some concern in the project team that was involved in the development of the proposal. Seeking a minimum impact, it was decided to build an inverted pyramid structure formed by four pillars that support the elliptical section of the construction and that only rest on one point on the ground, which minimizes contact. With some small retaining walls that allow the support of the straight sections and a pillar located at the central crossing, the structure of the viewing point is ensured with a minimum impact on the environment.
The horizontal structure is formed by a hollow beam on edge to which a series of brackets are welded on both sides that allow the support of the pavement and railings, reminiscent of an organic element, a fishbone, especially in the curved area.
The final quality of the work was expected to be very good, so, except for the foundation and the retaining walls, it was decided that the rest of the assembly would be carried out in a metal workshop specialising in structures of a certain complexity, and also had to be separated into 9 independent pieces that would allow transport to the chosen location without the need for special transport. Once the workshop work was finished, the pieces were taken to the vicinity of the future viewing point, where the central section was assembled and with the help of a high-capacity crane truck it was finally placed in its final position in a few hours. After the assembly of the straight sections, the execution of small finishing details and work on the access road completed the work.
Another part that was carefully studied was the enclosure that acts as protection, which is made up of a series of vertical plates separated by 10 cm between axes that allow a certain transparency between them and give the piece a marked sculptural character, which will improve as time acts and the characteristic tone of the corten steel ends up covering all the surfaces. A distant view of the viewing point makes it resemble a horizontal line supported by a "V", which favors its integration into the nearby environment.
In order to fulfill the educational mission with which the viewing point had been conceived, 9 sets of four plates were placed between the vertical perimeter plates that indicate elements of geological interest. Each group is made up of an arrow that marks the position, the name of what is to be shown, a pictogram and a QR code that the visitor can scan with their phone and thus obtain detailed and precise information about what is to be valued, doing so in a discreet way and integrated into the whole.
The result is useful, accessible, weather-resistant with minimal maintenance, capable of withstanding the passage of every visitor who approaches it and, at the same time, attractive in its appearance. Vitruvius may have valued it as a good example of architecture. Time, as a patient judge, will end up passing its sentence.
