In Cala de Torres (Villajoyosa) stands the Torre de Hercules, a funerary monument from the Roman era. An exception, it does not occupy the usual place for these constructions, on the margin of a road, but rather stands facing the sea, oriented towards the horizon, at sunrise.
These were the premises behind the design of Allonbay: to follow in the footsteps of those who worshipped the Mediterranean. To blend into the green, ochre and white landscape and respect it, occupying only 35% of the 65,000 square meters of land and converting the rest into liberated natural surface. A project where the buildings adapt to the terrain so that each of the 700 homes can enjoy the landscape of which it is a part; a pioneering masterplan that obtained the first BREEAM Urbanism certificate in Spain.
We are not the first to set foot in this natural cove. We are not the first to inhabit it. We do not own its past, but we are responsible for its future. Therefore, from the outset, we approached the design of Allonbay as an urban regeneration project, where we would seek to reproduce the Mediterranean essence that gave rise to the ancient Roman city of Allon, now hidden beneath the streets of Villajoyosa.
With this goal in mind, we took as reference the two landmarks that define the landscape: one of human origin, the Torre de Hércules; and the other, natural, geological, and orographic, the Barranco de Hércules to the north and the Río Torres to the south. Both serve as identity elements and frame the Allonbay space. These landmarks are connected and brought into relationship through the introduction of a new channel: an empty meadow in the form of an imaginary diagonal that traverses the entire master plan from northeast to southwest, breaking the rigidity of the orthogonal urban grid and enriching the dialogue with the surroundings, with water always at the heart of the project.
Water as a catalyst for human connection. Since ancient times, the world has developed along the edges of water: in ports, on riverbanks, around lakes. And later, in the fountains of squares and the washing areas of villages. Water connects us, transports us, and draws us in. Its presence is a place for encounter and exchange. That is why it is the heart of Allonbay and its horizon.
Thanks to the slope, the residential pool emerges like a natural spring surrounded by vegetation to create a microclimate, where shade and coolness serve as a prelude to the underground spa. This adjacent space, like a cave, establishes a visual connection between the water that bubbles up beneath the hillside and the water that reaches the outside. Inside, skylights allow for zenithal illumination of the space, with beams of light that penetrate the water and multiply the reflections on the walls and ceiling.
Outside, around the water, new open-air spaces are articulated. Facilities with great potential for socialization, such as children’s play areas, sports areas, Zen gardens for meditation, and even trails that invite us to discover the surroundings.
No land is a blank canvas. When we first laid eyes on the surroundings, the project was already there, in the ochre pigments of the sandstone, the white limestone of the pebbles, the reflections of the sea, the unevenness of the terrain, and the fruit blossoms. All we had to do was take all the elements and give them a new form, decide their proportions, and compose a whole that expressed the same harmony we found the first time.
To achieve this, we meticulously documented the entire environment, cataloging its vegetation, colors, and materials, but also its light and sounds, in order to reinterpret them on the different levels. Our goal was to create an immersive experience, seamlessly blending the project with its surroundings. More than landscaping, our intention was to make landscape, restoring plant and fruit species that had motivated the use of space for decades. In addition, a large wall of vegetation rises from the back of the buildings, climbing over them like trees. We treat the new relief as part of nature and leverage its benefits in terms of sustainability, insulation, and integration.
The project revives an intangible element of Mediterranean culture, making it one of its central features: the value of water. A value that seeks not only to preserve this precious resource but also to enjoy it. Inspired by ancient cisterns, we have designed a sophisticated drainage and rainwater collection system that, together with a highly efficient irrigation system, ensures a responsible water supply. Furthermore, drawing inspiration from the ancient irrigation channels in the area, we designed two water channels that run along the diagonal, eliminating the heat island effect thanks to the atmosphere created by evaporation and surrounding the entire urbanization with the soothing sound of water.
From the landscape emerges this project, an identity that links the past, present, and even the future, accommodating a sufficient density of inhabitants to reduce its footprint and taking advantage of the latest technologies to consume less,recycle more, and reduce CO2 emissions. This approach has led us to obtain the first environmental certificate in Spain in the green urbanism category by a world organization like BREEAM.
