Maritime Front Proposal for Arrecife, Canary Islands, Spain (1998)
Defined and contained by the Islet of La Fermina to the west and the Islet of El Frances to the east, our proposal for Arrecife's fractured seafront establishes a continuous and identifiable waterfront promenade between these two key Islets. A promenade which reclaims the importance of the sea as Arrecife's most vital attribute, informing and embellishing the unique character of Lanzarote's capital city. Our strategy is to recuperate prominent seafront features and edges, which have either been obliterated or left unattended, ravaged by the intrusion of the automobile and lateral parking. These forgotten features contain the most singular imprints of the city's origins and of its maritime history. Our proposed transformation creates a public corridor by the sea intertwined with local vegetation (such as the islands marvelous palm trees) and ground textures. Our objective is to produce a congruent pedestrian and automobile thoroughfare that summons pride and joy from its citizens, a counterpoint to the present indifference.
