MVRDV, together with Spanish practice GRAS Reynés Arquitectos, is transforming the iconic El Terreno neighbourhood in Palma, Mallorca, into a vibrant residential area, through renovations and new additions. After decades of decline, a series of neighbouring plots in Plaza Gomila are to be redeveloped through a public-private venture, with the aim of restoring the essence of the bohemian neighbourhood. Each executed in a different colour and material, the seven diverse buildings form a recognisable district with a variety of typologies.
From the 1950s to the 1980s, El Terreno and its Plaza Gomila were a cultural hub and the centre of avant-garde nightlife in Mallorca, but the area has since been neglected. The project seeks to revive the neighbourhood by renovating four existing buildings and adding three new ones, creating a residential neighbourhood with a distinct character. "The project goes beyond architecture or building design", says Guillermo Reynés, the founder of GRAS Reynés Arquitectos and a native of Palma. "It creates a sense of community, a 'Gomila belonging' – something that has been missing for a long time in this part of the city but that has always been present in the memory of generations of Palmesanos".
By mixing new buildings and reused structures, we rejuvenate the neighbourhood while maintaining the connection to its illustrious past. Renovating the Gomila Center is not only ecologically sustainable, reusing the building in line with principles of circularity but also offers a reminder of the history of the area. - MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs
The project adds 60 new residential units to the neighbourhood while also comprising various amenities from restaurants and bars to pools and commercial spaces. The masterplan's first phase is already unfolding, with five of the buildings under construction. The masterplan renovates the 1979 Gomila Center originally designed by architect Pere Nicolau, adds an apartment building built in rammed earth and transforms an existing building adjacent to Plaza Gomila. The plan adds a series of blue row houses dubbed Las Fabric-Casas and some red townhouses known as Las Casitas. The second phase will see the renovation of another two existing buildings.
- Architect: MVRDV + GRAS Reynés Arquitectos
- Founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
- Partner: Fokke Moerel
- Design Team: Jose Ignacio Velasco Martin, Jonathan Schuster, Samuel Delgado, Mathias Pudelko, Marek Nosek, Jonas Andresen, Alicja Pawlak, Simone Costa, Ranmalie Mataraarachchi, Carl Jarneving
- Co-architect: GRAS Reynés Arquitectos (Guillermo Reynes, Mayca Sánchez Carvajal, Alejandro Domingo Leal, Mikolaj Zajda) Contractors: Ferratur, Bibiloni, Tarraco
- Structural engineering, MEP, & Cost calculation: Engass
- Graphic Design: Mario Eskenazi, Arauna Studio
