The world is dotted with ancient artifacts and historic structures that throughout the years have passed from owner to owner and undergone various transformations to suit contemporary needs. in the mountainous landscape of almeria, spain, in a small town called huercal-over, a military defense tower on a raised enclave remains standing since the 13th century. it was originally built by the arab kingdom of nazari during their rule in spain when their territories were being reduced to the southern andalusia region. the construct was part of a larger fortress that has long since been destroyed, but the tower remains as a memory of its past, surrounded by hidden relics that date back to the bronze age. during the spanish civil war it was taken over by military forces and repurposed as a bunker; new openings were made for machine gun access.
A private owner then bought the property and made basic alterations to indulge in their own needs during the following 50 years until the municipality acquired the land and commissioned spanish practice castillo-miras arquitectos to carry out a renovation that would respect the historical significance and character of the dilapidated edifice. the intervention aimed at restoring the construct to its original design, using known documentation and similar tower typologies of ancient arab architecture to ensure morphological accuracy. it was decided to create a clear distinction between the new and old, to allow the added elements to stand obviously separate from the existing and to let this dichotomy in turn present the relic as an observable, inhabitable artifact. the new components have a temporary nature with no permanent foundations in the ground, they are designed as foreign objects contrasting the earth-tone tower.
The parking area was created relatively off-site, on an existing plateau. a path guides visitors to the information kiosk, a corten steel box whose shipping container-like appearance emphasizes its relative transience. the path continues winding along the natural contours and topographical features of the site peppered with stone block benches that seem to grow out of the ground, creating places to sit, rest and enjoy the landscape. as the original entry is four meters off the ground, a corten steel circular staircase structure was placed - also without permanent foundations - next to the square tower,allowing its materiality and form to contradict the language dictated by the earthen building. perforations in the stair envelope allow visitors periodic views of the landscape and immediate site to help gain an understanding from a new perspective, until reaching the top where the front door is located across from a view stretching miles over mountainous terrain into the horizon.
The restoration of the interior relied not so much on alien intervention but rather on the rejuvenation of the original design. the exterior mud walls were cleaned off to unveil their true color; where the walls became too damaged they were reconstructed with a limestone mortar that fits into the context while subtly exposing its difference from the existing material. interior additions were removed, newly punctured openings in the recent past were re-closed; the inserted 20th-century floor tiles were removed and replaced with a floating wooden floor independent of the walls; the new plaster coating on the interior partitions was eliminated to bring out the brick structure. the tower exists as it did over 800 years ago, recalling its powerful presence in an ancient landscape, bringing to life an architecture designed and built by anonymous people, preserved for many years to come.