Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de Tenerife
Building.
Auditorio de Tenerife
Arts complex in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
Building in Canary Islands, Spain.
El Tanque Garden
The Espacio Cultural El Tanque Garden (El Tanque Garden) is the ecological restoration of an industrial heritage area that endows the Cabo Llanos neighborhood of Santa Cruz de Tenerife with its first green public space. Around a former oil tank of the CEPSA Refinery, reused as a cultural space since 1997 and a listed heritage since 2014, this new banana garden recalls the agricultural landscape prior to industrialization, staging the city as a place of coexistence of different times, cultures and sensibilities that have shaped its identity. As the exuberant subtropical vegetation colonizes the industrial relic, framing its overwhelming presence, the memory of the agricultural past is restored to build a sense of cultural continuity and belonging. The layout of the garden fully respects the original plot of the site and the pre-existing stone wall, while the base of another adjoining tank, disappeared since the 1990's, becomes now the perimeter of the new plaza. The injured exterior of the Tanque itself and its elements are rehabilitated and integrated into the general concept that combines heritage and nature. The highly biodiverse garden in a neighborhood that completely lacks public green areas contains 700 trees, shrubs and aromatic plants. The lighting and furniture elements are designed and custom built with waste such as discarded divers' oxygen bottles. Care for the environmental impact is also perceived in the orientation of the lamp so that it avoids light pollution, as well as in the watering of the greenery, which is supplied with recycled water. What used to be a contaminated underused land, though part of a protected heritage compound, is already a leafy garden that will only get better as times passes and biodiversity regains the site, offering a public space for social cohesion, reconnection with nature and cultural heritage.
La Salle Charging Station
A dialogue between light and shadow, reflected space and opaque mass, is the main concept for the first electric vehicle (EV) charging station in the Canary Islands, located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where users are provided with developing experiences that change throughout the day. This way it indulges in the light cycle, which not only shows the passing of the days but also mutates with the seasons, thus showing the progression of time. The floating canopy, together with matte black structure that rests on the ground, generate a perceptional ambiguity, situating us in a scenario that replicates everything that’s perceived by it. Together they make up an almost equilateral triangle that is a visual focus of their immediate surroundings. The building is the background of the scene while the free space is filled with activity filtered by the vegetal curtains. The dialogue between both units, canopy and built piece, takes place in the floor and the void that separates them, producing here the point of light entrance of the canopy towards the building. The space below the canopy deck is cladded with a mirror like material where bonds are created between the real and virtual space. The fact of it perforating the ground, precisely located below the canopy, reinforces the concept of virtuality, where users and pedestrians enter an imaginary world. The perception of the whole is characterized by the lightness detached from the formal approach of the canopy with its light inputs, reinforced by the visual buoyancy provided by the new cladding material, as well as the inclined texture of the gardens, which changes dimensions in relation to the place you approach it from.
Rodin Museum Tenerife. Adaptive reuse of an architectural heritage listed park
The Viera y Clavijo Cultural Park is an iconic landscape and cultural space in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. Built in 1903, it has been used as a cultural complex, made up of the Pérez Minik Theater now disappeared and the Colegio de la Asunción, a former neo-Gothic church founded by Central European nuns, later transformed into the first school for girls in Tenerife, in operation until 1978. The only example of a neo-Gothic religious building in the city, the school has been listed as a heritage building since 1986 and still exists although badly affected by years of neglect. The park also contains some botanical jewels such as its immense Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra) whose crown extends over a diameter of more than 20 m and a bronze sculpture by Joan Miró, the Femme Bouteille, donated to the city in the mid-1970s. The site is located at the intersection of some urban circulations of great relevance, connecting its lower area (ravine) with one of the entrance avenues to the city. However, the progressive urban development, the existing perimeter fence and the proximity of the ravine contributed to its growing isolation from the rest of the city while scarce sidewalks makes walking around it unsafe. The redesign is based on the respect of both the pre-existent neo-Gothic architecture and nature - vegetation, ravine and topography - while integrating the client's brief, which requires underground parking lots. The objective is to heal the building and the vegetation and prepare them for the intense public use that will be given. The intervention is based on the minimum necessary touches completed, however, with strategic actions that seek to make the park a lung full of oxygen in the middle of the city, open it to Santa Cruz de Tenerife and thereby solve some of its mobility problems. The former school and chapel will be rehabilitated and the current park will be expanded in the form of a green ring. A small Ceibas forest will be planted to accompany the existing specimen and educational urban orchards will be included. After its redesign, the Viera y Clavijo Cultural Park will be a green and open public space spread over 15,000 m2 in the heart of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, overlooking the sea and the ravine and playing a major role in restoring the connection between the low and high parts of the city. Moreover, it will house the second Rodin Museum in Europe. The philosophy of the Km0 architecture is applied as an economic and sustainability strategy: everything is designed to use locally sourced materials, techniques, companies and craft. The Circular Economy is prioritized through the use of recycled aggregate, limestone and picón (local volcanic stone). The design is based on the use of natural elements such as daylight, trade winds for cross ventilation and the collection of rainwater for irrigation of the greenery. Durable materials that improve with aging will also be used to ensure low-cost maintenance in time.
Plaza de España (Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
Square in Tenerife, Spain.
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Open in Atlas MapFrequently Asked Questions
How long does the Santa Cruz de Tenerife architecture walking tour take?+
The self-guided walking tour covers approximately 2.6 km with 4 stops. Allow approximately 2 hours including 20 minutes of viewing time per building.
Is the Santa Cruz de Tenerife architecture tour free?+
Yes, this is a completely free self-guided walking tour. You can view the route on the interactive map, export it to Google Maps for navigation, and explore at your own pace.
Do I need to book the Santa Cruz de Tenerife architecture tour in advance?+
No booking is required — this is a self-guided tour that you can start at any time. All buildings can be viewed from the outside. For guided tours with expert commentary, we recommend checking GetYourGuide for local architecture tours.
What is the best time to do the Santa Cruz de Tenerife architecture walking tour?+
Morning light (before 11am) is ideal for photography of building facades. Weekdays tend to be less crowded around commercial buildings. Allow a full morning or afternoon for the complete tour.