Estepona, Málaga
Spain
A Frontside 381 Sheath for the Mirador Del Carmen Cultural Centre
about
Located in the Spanish city of Estepona, the Mirador Del Carmen Cultural Centre features a tensile Serge Ferrari Frontside 381 membrane façade.
In April 2023, the coastal city of Estepona, halfway between Marbella and Gibraltar in the South of Spain, inaugurated the all-new Mirador Del Carmen Cultural Centre. The project was intended to provide local residents with a multi-purpose space offering a broad variety of entertainment and cultural events. About 15 million euros were invested by the city into this new development.
A tower sheathed in tenseo Frontside 381
Sitting mere feet from the shore, the tower’s structure is wrapped in a textile envelope made from Frontside 381 in Silver Grey. Installation was completed by local contractor BAT SPAIN, which specialises in tensile architecture with expertise spanning design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly and maintenance, for both domestic and international projects.
The entire envelope consists of prefabricated BATenso textile-clad panels manufactured by BAT SPAIN. This system of aluminium frames allows for swift and easy assembly on site. However, installation proved one of the biggest challenges in this project, as each panel had to be lifted individually into position while dealing with strong winds typical of the area.
The play of curves and different-sized panels, combined with the fabric’s glossy finish, make for a distinctive design that changes with the light throughout the day. The 2,500 sqm of fabric that now wrap the building create a particularly stunning show of light and shadow.
Landscape design: Tenseo FRontside 381 shading on the beachfront promenade
Along the palm-bordered promenade that stretches parallel to the coast, textile canopy shading has also been installed to shield amblers from the sun. Each section of fabric is stretched overhead with a system of cables and BATbanner aluminium profiles. For this application, the design team also chose Serge Ferrari’s Frontside 381 shading in a variety of colours curated by architecture practice Estudio SMP. The various canopies have been placed asymmetrically to ensure all benches along the promenade are adequately shaded during most of the day.
Project Participants
Project Delivery: 2023
Client: BAT SPAIN BURÓ TEXTIL SLU
System: BATenso and BATbanner
Photo credit: ©Rubén Ceinos García – BatSpain
