Official College of Architects of the Canary Islands

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Cultural spaces · Subcategory: Institutions · Year: 1972 · Authors: Javier Díaz-Llanos, Vicente Saavedra

The Official College of Architects of the Canary Islands was created on 27 February 1969, at a time of great professional effervescence motivated both by the urban renewal that cities were experiencing at that time, and by the take-off of the tourism industry. Until then, Canarian architects were administratively dependent on the jurisdiction of the College of Architects of Western Andalusia and Badajoz, based in Seville.

For the new headquarters in Santa Cruz, a team of architects was formed (Luis Cabrera, Rubens Henríquez, Fernando Isidro and Enrique Seco, the latter in charge of structural calculations) who, led by Javier Díaz-Llanos and Vicente Saavedra, project directors, created a splendid example of contemporary architecture. 

The building rises through serious and powerful volumes, responding to the special imprint of the place, between La Rambla and a rear area where a ravine runs, closed off by a rocky mountain slope.

The property is designed according to a complex functional programme, consisting of a main block of offices above ground level, facing a plaza open both to the rugged landscape behind and to the urban fabric of the Ramblas. Below street level are an auditorium, a large exhibition hall and other complementary services.

Its exterior presence contains a high sculptural component. A lateral tower connects with the horizontal layout, where the cantilevered planters arranged on successive floors stand out. The concrete provides the building with its most expressive element.

Inside, open-plan spaces abound and are delimited by movable panels made of tea wood. The interplay of concrete and wood results in bare, simple textures with great presence, cleverly hiding any detail that does not fit the austere and emphatic model.

The building was inaugurated in 1972.

28.475331, -16.25068