The rehabilitation seeks to transform a disused gasometer from the Platonic perspective of the tripartite soul. In this way, three differentiated spaces are generated following this division: logistikon (reason), thymoeides (spirit), and epithymetikon (desire). The design prioritizes minimal intervention, allowing life and ideas to emerge organically within its shell. Together with the historian and the concept researcher, Celia Arias, we designed an architectural translation that earned a mention from the jury of the contest. According to the jury, our project enhanced the poetic properties of the space by inserting colored glass lenses in the walls.
1. The body of the gasometer as reason. Industrial legacy and renewal. The structural core of the project, a reflection of the industrial spirit of Asturias and the city of Avilés. The preservation of its structure allows the persistence of its legacy and shapes its uses and its future.
2. The interior as spirit. Incorporation of the natural world and reflection. It is presented as a multipurpose space for reflection and contemplation where nature reclaims its place. It thus becomes a sanctuary/microcosm representing the anima mundi (soul of the world) — a mirror of the complexity of the universe.
2.1 The Flame* The element around which everything revolves, taking on multiple meanings and serving as a guiding thread. The symbolic flame that guides the ethos of the project.
On one hand, as a transformative element, it serves as a commemorative piece honoring the industrial process and all its participants. It also exemplifies the change that its uses and identity have undergone following this project.
At the same time, it represents passion and creative energy, as well as the intellect and spirituality needed to drive change — the light of knowledge.
Finally, the flame also serves as the hearth or gathering space of the new building.
2.2 The Ramp A double spiral symbolizing infinity and continuity, while also evoking the structure of DNA, reinforcing the idea of a living space in constant evolution. It acts as a path toward reflection and becoming.
2.3 The Vault The interplay between light and darkness creates an atmosphere of intimacy and meditation. In addition to the openings (which recreate the idea of a celestial vault), plants requiring minimal or even no sunlight are incorporated, further reinforcing the idea of the space as anima mundi.
3. The expansion as desire. Innovation and creativity. On the exterior, embracing the gasometer at ground floor level, a single-story perimeter structure is added. This space is conceived as a free software laboratory/school or creative hub.
It is here that the shift toward a new industrial typology — one native to the information age — is made manifest
