A competition opened up the opportunity to design a new town center for Miņo, on the Northwest coast of Spain. The site had a complex topography and a two level solution was proposed to take advantage of the views available, which had been spoiled elsewhere in town by a low urban sprawl. On the lower level a series of interconnected squares introduced a social area in which life and activity could now focus. The fragmentation allowed the scale to remain appropriate and agreeable to the users, and gave a rhythm to the promenade to the beach along a new pedestrian avenue. On the top level a series of decks fanned out towards the sea over the buildings beneath, reinstating the lost vantage points. Both spaces were connected by staircases in the interstitial spaces between the various arms of the square and by a ramp created by the roof of the first building, which was intended to house the town hall. The power at the feet of the people. The massing of the built area in the lower levels reduced the impact of the proposal on the surrounding landscape and the decks camouflaged its volume from all distant views. The whole scheme took great care to integrate itself into the built and social fabric of the town and to ensure its success as a generator of activity and interaction.
