Thumbs up for Cortijo Jurado office complex and accommodation project on outskirts of Malaga
The latest plans for the historic building, a well-known landmark visible from the A-357 motorway, include a 4,800 square metre park area next to the Campanillas riverbed
The project to refurbish the historic Cortijo Jurado manor house in Campanillas on the outskirts of Malaga is finally on track in the city hall. After two years of paperwork and preliminary reports, the municipal planning department is preparing to approve the dossier that will allow the original house to be converted into an office and accommodation complex. The initial idea was to use the historic building solely as a hotel, but this initiative failed.
The next step in the project, promoted by Suba, is for it to receive a definitive approval in the coming months. One of the latest changes introduced in the dossier is that the accommodation use will also be maintained as an alternative to office use, making the two compatible. This does not mean that the hotel aspect will be maintained in the usual format. Instead, the idea is to include a temporary accommodation option in the form of 'co-living' for office users and tenants that work at the nearby Málaga TechPark.
The project, designed by architect Ángel Asenjo, will finally reutilise the abandoned old mansion, to which paranormal phenomena have been attributed. The complex covers a surface area of more than 43,500 square metres. The project takes advantage of adjacent buildings to not surpass the maximum buildable area of 19,098 square metres, with a maximum height of ground floor plus two floors.
The plan to construct a new avant-garde building is preserved for another location
Initially, Ángel Asenjo designed an organically shaped building for an assembly and conference hall with a capacity of 200 people that was to contrast the historic mansion. However, the city hall suggested that the volumes of the buildings that surround the old manor house do not exceed its height in order to ensure that it can be seen from the surrounding roads.
In the last proposals presented to the urban planning department, Suba suggested constructing this complementary building to the south of the manor house, without exceeding its height. However, the municipal experts objected, so the developer finally opted to move the new building away from the old farmhouse and place it further north, parallel to the Campanillas road. This will allow the avant-garde element to blend with the rest of the new buildings, so as to not obstruct the original manor house, which has measures of protection for its architectural value.
Another improvement in the latest version of the project is that it will have a privately owned landscaped area of 2,561 square metres. A further 2,245 square metres of green space will be added to this area, which will be connected to the Campanillas riverbed, creating a total area of 4,806 square metres for the residents' enjoyment.
In addition, over the last two years, the promoters have overcome the initial objections of the Ministry of Transport, which requested a study to analyse how the project will affect traffic on the outer ring road junction with the Guadalhorce dual carriageway. The ministry issued a favourable report in July last year.
However, the final stage of approval by the town hall also needs the approval of the ministry and certain regional bodies. This procedure could take place over the next year. In any case, the initiative looks closer to becoming a reality in the next few years.
