Wind and sand

The aim of the proposal is to work with these two most representative concepts of Tarifa as materials to construct a sensible intervention which responds to the main concerns of the given program: Increasing population during water sports seasons and the preservation of the coastal ecosystem. Both issues coalesce in one particular geographical spot: Valdevaqueros beach.

Time

The seasonal use and the mobility of the sea lovers demands removability or another use for the project.

The proposal tries to bring in the time as an actual design element. Wind predominance percentage through time gives us the right time to start building, to shelter from the east, to open to the west, to adapt when kite-surf competitions are celebrated…

Place

The given site has small controlled dunes ecosystem with no big sand movements. The tide varies considerably flooding half of the beach. The area is too open to both east and west wind, therefore too much wind variability, not the best conditions to perform wind water sports.

Our site or the site we propose consists of an unsolved unstable ecosystem, where we find the  possibility to improve an already existing intervention in the nature (See: The container issue), meaning no actual footprint. The spot, Valdevaqueros beach is naturally sheltered from west wind and opens to south-east towards the African continent. This beach is known for being the best location for windsurfers and kite-surfers.

The concern for the preservation of the dunes system in Valdevaqueros started in the 1930’s and has developed very little. This has let the dune grow towards the forest and even crossing the road. Since the design of the element has been proved as not very effective, an upgrade to the containing system seemed the most sensible starting point for this specific location.