Marbella to modernise the Plaza del Mercado Central: this is what the new space will look like
A network of pergolas, planters and benches will be installed as an 'activation strategy' for this underused spot
Marbella's Plaza del Mercado Central is to be converted into a space for people to sit in, with shade, seating and vegetation. These are the lines that define the modernisation project that the town hall has devised for this part of the Old Town, which is currently underused, and which has already been put out to tender. But if the new space designed is marked by anything, it is the network of pergolas that will be installed.
It will be a modular structure four metres high, made up of 14 grid sections with minimum dimensions of four by four metres. It will be supported by tubular profile pillars and topped by wooden slats measuring 100 x 50 millimetres, but the structures will not be anchored to the ground, but prefabricated elements will be used as ballast. They will be benches and planters, which can even have a multipurpose use, so that the same element can be both at the same time and also serve as a foundation for the pillars of this shaded area.
The superficial framework of pergolas, which will extend towards the entrance of the Mercado Central, not only constitutes "a light and reversible architectural intervention," explains the town hall, but "is proposed as a strategy for the activation of public space" that promotes "dynamics of meeting, comfort and permanence for the community". It is the way to confront the current scenario, in which the square presents "a condition of urban emptiness that limits its appropriation, use and social vitality".
Revitalisation
The project is part of the strategy to revitalise the commercial and tourist urban fabric, which aims to contribute to revitalising the area around the municipal market, "an location of special relevance in the economic, social and tourist activity of the historic centre of Marbella", says the town hall.
The project has a budget of 177,000 euros, will take four months to complete and is already out to tender
The planned intervention pursues "the objectives of recovering a currently unused space that lacks shade or seating to transform it into an area for the enjoyment of both market users and passers-by", summarises the town hall, emphasising that the proposed reform will make it possible to "carry out activities outside", whether they are market activities or "one-off events throughout the year".
The initiative has a budget of 176,998.65 euros and an execution period of four months, and is part of the Planes de Sostenibilidad Turística en Destinos de Andalucía 2021 (Tourism Sustainability Plans in Andalucía Destinations 2021), within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Spanish Government and financed by the European Union (NextGenerationEu funds).
