Bocamar, the seams of water
Discover Bocamar, the seams of water by Atelier Bocamar, a winning project of the Europan 17 international architecture and urban planning competition. It analyzes our relationship with water and nature and seeks to repurpose port infrastructure, adapting it to contemporary needs to make it habitable and useful.
In Spain, San Esteban de Pravia and San Juan de L’Arena sit on opposite sides of the Nalón River’s mouth, the history of these towns is intertwined with the river and coastal waters that continue to shape the landscape.
Diagrama y plano de proyecto general / Diagram and general project plan
Fotografía / Photography: Atelier Bocamar
Human activity has also reshaped the coastline of the estuary system. The intense industrial activity that developed between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries left lasting traces. Following the gradual decline of coal mining in the 1960s, industrial operations came to a halt.
Sección de intervención en pantano herbáceo / Intervention section in a marsh
Fotografía / Photography: Atelier Bocamar
The heavy port infrastructures today form rigid, artificial zones: anthropogenic infills, docks, dikes, canals, basins, and piers have become impermeable walls that hinder the connection between the towns and the estuary.
Antes de la intervención en el área del dique / Before intervention in the dike area
Fotografía / Photography: Atelier Bocamar
Después de la intervención en el área del dique / After intervention in the dike area
Fotografía / Photography: Atelier Bocamar
This project focuses on the boundary between land and sea; it explores our relationship with water, the shape of the shoreline, and the dimensions and nature of the retaining walls. The various interventions aim to give new uses to these port infrastructures, adapting them to contemporary needs so that they become habitable spaces capable of generating activity. Working on the riverbanks means redrawing the articulation between water and land, thus creating the substrate for a new way of life.
This project focuses on the boundary between land and sea; it explores our relationship with water, the shape of the shoreline, and the dimensions and nature of the retaining walls.
Sección de intervención en área del dique / Intervention section in the dike area
Fotografía / Photography: Atelier Bocamar
Faced with this complex territorial system, rich in environmental and cultural value, the team has carried out a comprehensive reflection at various scales. Three objectives guide the project:
- To revitalize and transform the port areas through a sustainable mobility system, rational territorial planning, new employment opportunities based on the green and blue economy, the promotion of regulated tourism activities, and a program for the rehabilitation of vacant housing.
- Preserve the natural landscape and cultural heritage through the restoration of marshes and the recovery of natural zones.
- To adapt to climate change through new forms of renewable energy production and strategies to mitigate the effects of floods and storms.
Antes de la intervención en área de estacionamiento / Before intervention in parking area
Fotografía / Photography: Atelier Bocamar
Después de la intervención en área de estacionamiento / After intervention in parking area
Fotografía / Photography: Atelier Bocamar
This comprehensive work is combined with localized and specific responses in each area. Through a series of interventions, the project offers new, organic, and non-exhaustive pathways for adaptation, allowing the future story of the Bajo Nalón to be written.
Láminas de proyecto / Project panels
Fotografía / Photography: Atelier Bocamar
