The City Council of Estepona (located in Malaga) has built a botanical park right in the middle of the Historical Centre, including an orchidarium that Europe’s largest and one of the world’s biggest.
This building is the main one in the park. It has 1,000 square metres of surface areas and 15,000 square metres of volume taken from underground. On entering, visitors find two vertical gardens like paintings welcoming them. This is starting point of a tour of plant species from every continent. After finishing this first space, a lush bamboo forest separates the next level.
This orchidarium, of avant-garde and modern lines, is eye-catching as it has three glass domes made with ALUGOM’s AL-50 system, a curtain wall system that is easy to manufacture due to both its easy machining as well as its fast set-up, with excellent permeability, leak-tightness and wind resistance results. The magnificent technical qualities of the AL-50 curtain wall have allowed architects to place the domes at a height of 30, 15 and 9 metres, respectively, guaranteeing the total permeability and leaktightness of the roof.
Celimac had confidence in Alugom due to its systems, able to come up with the most demanding solutions for contemporary architecture
The project was led by HVH ARQUITECTOS, a Malaga-based studio with extensive experience in the industry comprised of a team of highly qualified professionals. The development of the architectural envelope was headed by CELIMAC, which specialises in one-of-a-kind facades and is responsible for the implementation of many emblematic projects. These two companies had no doubts about placing their confidence in ALUGOM, since its systems are capable of resolving the most demanding challenges in contemporary architecture.
“The three domes will become hallmarks of the innovative building that will completely change the physiognomy of the municipality”
Both José María García, Mayor of the City of Estepona and Ana Velasco, Councillor of the Area of Development, Infrastructure and Tourism (FIT) have stressed that “the three domes will become hallmarks of this innovative building that will completely change the physiognomy of the city and will become a major tourist attraction. The building’s main vault will house thousands of species of orchids and will surprise the visitors observing the dome from inside”.
Ana Velasco also mentioned that cities need hallmarks of identity in order to be “attractive” to tourism. “With this work, which is one of the largest productive investments made by the City, we provide Estepona with a new symbol,” underscores the Councillor of Development.
