Vejer de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
With Fairfax & Sammons Architects for the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade & Tourism and the Ministry of Culture & Sport.
The Windmill Quarter is a 75 square kilometer peri-urban district comprising the cultural and recreational site of Parque Loma Oeste and three new neighborhoods named after their nearest windmill: Cruz de Conil, Santa Inés, and Morillo. The proposal aims to:
- create a complex yet cohesive urban extension that reflects the richness and scale of the existing traditional urban fabric;
- promote place identity that celebrates local heritage and building traditions; and
- support the local economy without compromising the unique landscape and topography of the town.
Parque Loma Oeste
Composed as a pastoral landscape, the park highlights the four windmills of Loma de Buenavista as cultural landmarks. A proposed trail follows the ridgeline, connecting each of the windmills to Mirador El Santo and to the neighborhoods. The water tanks are carefully screened behind an allée of olive trees.
Cruz de Conil
Designed scenographically, the northern neighborhood embraces the site’s dynamic topography and vistas. Referencing the architectural materials, colors, and details of the old town, the neighborhood is composed as a series of intimate public plazas. The sequence begins with a 20-room hotel that pays homage to Vejer’s rich architectural heritage and terminates with a church at the end of the promontory, its campanile speaking to that of Iglesia Divino Salvador. Thirty-four units with flexible ground floors allow for a variety of uses such as shopfronts and cafes.
Santa Inés and Morillo
The central and southern neighborhoods celebrate the pastoral heritage of Vejer. In addition to the new trails, a proposed farmhouse, stables, and paddock provide opportunities for recreation. To create a sense of arrival into town, the proposal gently redirects automobile traffic on Calle Manuel de Falla with an urban marker: a cork oak native to La Janda. Forty-nine units of a variety of housing types support socioeconomic diversity.