Located between a cargo dock and a natural park, this ferry terminal and parking-boarding areas design seeks for a natural topographical and environmental integration in the site, managing the rain water of the surrounding hills to generate a new landscape.

This project was developed in cooperation with Jorge Bernabeu Larena (engeneer) and Teresa Galí-Izard (landscape designer).

The proposal is the first project of the land-arch series (Maó ferry terminal-Lara Ríos house-UPF green area and BETA foundation plaza) and it was awarded 1st prize in an International open competition in 2009.

The size of the program -40.000 Sqm- and the characteristics of the site - sea front with nice views towards the south and a large natural protected area with sinuous topography towards the north, allowed us to conceive the project as a model for the future development of the northern sea front of maó’s bay, the largest natural port in the Mediterranean Sea.

The proposal assumes topography as a natural border that defines the limit between the built areas and the green ones. The intervention strategy has been generated through the five following steps:

1.1 Redefinition of the site boundary to preserve most of the existing topography: By deploying the built mass in the lower areas of the site we wanted to reinforce topography as a limit and to increase the integration with the landscape.

1.2 Redistribution of the soil: we avoid to transfer soil outside the limits of the site to reduce environmental impact: The position of the building as fixed by the Port Authority makes necessary to remove a 12-meter-high hill. The redistribution of this soil inside the site avoids 3.500 truck moves and the need to dump it.

1.3 Integration of the parking area with the green zones to reduce landscape impact: By introducing different types of pavement we generate a gradient from green and soft surfaces to hard and waterproof areas. This minimizes the presence of asphalt and increases draining performance.

1.4 Management of rain water in order to store it inside the soil at the same time that keeps it humid. This system provides water to the vegetation along the year.

1.5 The geometry establishes a continuous landscape that merges hills, parking platforms and building into a single system. The facades of the external perimeter of the Terminal are made of a double ventilated glass wall that allow the internal spaces to benefit from the spectacular views of the city across the port.

Ferry Terminal in Maó     In collaboration with SiO2arch and IDOM

Project duration: 2009-2011
Promotor: Autoritat Portuària de Balears
Type: Public Facility
Area: Building 6.000 m2, Parking areas and landscape 40.000 m2
Budget: 23,0 M €
Site: Maó-Menorca, Spain
Awards: Open Competition, First Prize
Design team: Juan Gándara, Fani Natou, Vasilis Ntovros, Jordi Ribó and Oriol Vives
Collaborators: Arquitectura Agronomia (landscape)