Malaga infrastructure: Fundación Unicaja takes first step to build office and cultural centre on former Astoria cinema plot
The city council has signed an agreement for the cultural use of the building and its contribution to Malaga’s society
Malaga city council and Fundación Unicaja have signed an important agreement that guarantees the cultural use of the future Unicaja building, to be constructed on the plot of the former Astoria and Victoria cinemas.
The memorandum of understanding is the first administrative step in the project, announced a year ago by Mayor of Malaga Francisco de la Torre. The aim of this agreement is to ensure that the future building will not only have offices, but also spaces for cultural events that will benefit society.
This is one of the conditions that De la Torre had for the transfer of the Astoria site to Fundación Unicaja. With the signing on Tuesday, the organisation will increase its financial contribution towards various cultural activities.
The memorandum of understanding is valid for two years or until the transfer of the land is signed. In other words, the agreement “initiates the process of granting the land” to Fundación Unicaja, after the city council declared it of “municipal public interest”.
According to De la Torre, the urban planning department will ask Fundación Unicaja for an annual fee of just over 200,000 euros for the Astoria site, for which the city council paid 21 million euros. The mayor said that, although the plot was a significant cost to the municipal coffers, the fee cannot be higher because the land is classified as public infrastructure.
Landmark project
The idea of Fundación Unicaja is to build a landmark project for Malaga in the Astoria site. The cultural spaces of the building will most likely consist of a large auditorium, an exhibition area and a workshop area, while respecting all the archaeological remains found on the site.
This project does not mean that Unicaja will give up the Palacio Episcopal, which it will use as a large exhibition area next to the Cathedral.
The new building will host “concerts, exhibitions and social, cultural and educational activities”. The land on which this cultural centre is to be built has a surface area of 1,298.70 square metres and a maximum buildable roof area of 6,340 square metres.
Fundación Unicaja has invited several leading architects to submit their proposals for the design of this unique and iconic cultural hub.
The Unicaja project is the fourth proposal for this site in the city centre. Previous proposals include Antonio Banderas’s theatre, a building for bars and restaurants above an underground auditorium and a municipal performing arts centre.
