“Three horizontal planes” is a proposal to transform the existing service building using a direct operation: three wooden platforms to observe the landscape of Fuente Dé.

The project concentrates on the building with the least architectural value. The three trays improve the relationship with notable adjacent buildings by Ángel Hernández Morales. The trays solve the difference in level changes and establish a dialogue with the dramatic landscape. The intervention continues via a reorganization of interior space and a new main façade set back from the current position. Simple subtraction actions include the dismantling of the existing façade, the demolition of partitions on the upper floor, and strategic demolitions on the lower floor. There are also small spatial operations such as a new lift, a large bench, and a new curtain wall. These specific interventions allow for the creation of clearer circulation, and a more permeable interior for enjoying wide views over the valley at all times. The intervention controls the work with powerful structural solutions that offer a richer interior space for the complex, and a new image in the territory.

The intervention focuses on a very simple idea. Instead of building a new viewing point and renovating the existing building, the current building is transformed into a viewing point itself. By using a unitary strategy, multiple problems are resolved, and the epic, ancient viewpoint over the rock, is recovered. This heroism is achieved with a laminated wood and CLT structure. The intervention is a pyramidal structure defined by three ribbed boards with characteristic wooden beams that reduce in section compared to the cantilever. It is a structure whose rigor and constructive sincerity allows easy assembly in this fragile environment. Wood infiltrates the interiors of the building, conceiving spaces that are as alpine as they are contemporary.

At a larger scale, the proposal establishes an order which reinforces the autonomy of each of the constructions that punctuate the picturesque landscape. The shelter with its inclined section, the cable station with its gabled roof, and the renovated horizontal viewpoint can together be seen as a small steep still life.

Three horizontal planes staggering over the valley, the lower platform exposes users to the valley and the rock surface of the mountain. The middle one allows the cafeteria to be expanded while dominating the horizon. And the upper platform harmoniously completes the whole. A reduced yet ambitious proposal to create a building-viewpoint over the Picos de Europa, three sober trays for enjoying the spectacular magic of Fuente Dé.