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VALENCIA DE ALCÁNTARA

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VENDAS

PLASENCIA

CÁCERES

BADAJOZMÉRIDA

ZAFRA

VALENCIA DE ALCÁNTARA

MARVAO

REGUENGOS

EVORA

BEJASINES

LISBON

SEVILLA

CÓRDOBA

CÓRDOBACIUDAD REAL

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SCHOOL OF ORGANIC FARMINGOrganic farming is a system to cultivate an autonomous farm based on an optimal use of natural resources, without using synthetic chemicals or geneti-cally modified organisms, achieving this way to get organic food while preserving fertile the land and respecting the environment. All these would be achieve in a sustainable and balanced way.

Through the study of such crops it could be boosted the production of certain types of products in order to increase profits without reaching the over-exploitation of land.

RESEARCH CENTER OF LOCAL PRODUCTSThese centers are based on the research of local products from both regions so that:

1-Profitability would increase without compromising the quality of any product. 2-The use and benefits of these products would be investigated in order to find how they can contribute to other sciences.

RESEARCH CENTER FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY: HYDRAULIC POWER AND AQUACULTURE.Both regions have two of the largest dams in Europe and therefore they are considered one of the largest producers of hydropower in the Peninsula.In my opinion, a center to take advantage of this renewable energy could contribute significantly to both economic development and infrastructure development.

A department in this center in which to study the organisms that inhabit the waters that reach the dams could also be incorporated.

RESEARCH CENTER FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY: SOLAR ENERGY.

ZOO-THERAPY CENTERWe find two facts when considering the reason for the development of these centers:

1-The many benefits that animals provide people with various diseases are well known. 2-Extremadura has a great biodiversity, the only cross-border natural park in Europe, many school farms and breeding farms.

My proposal is based on the study of these resources to apply to the zoo-therapy, whether in the field of riding horses regarding disable people, farm-schools to facilitate the population get to know the countryside...

RESEARCH CENTER OF LOCAL PRODUCTS

SEED BANKI've planned to create this seed bank in which to study the different species that compound the biodiversity in these AL-EX region and keep the seeds of all of them.

What elements make different a seed R+D center from a "normal" R+D center?

In order to preserve the species in these regions there must be some organiza-tion in charge of taking care of these species but due to the climate change some species are disappearing so this seed bank would collect the seeds of this plans and keep them but also there would be laboratories in it that would research about the properties of those species so to apply them in other fields.

PLASENCIA

CÁCERES

BADAJOZMÉRIDA

ZAFRA

VALENCIA DE ALCÁNTARA

MARVAO

REGUENGOS

EVORA

BEJASINES

LISBON

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SCHOOL OF ORGANIC FARMING

RESEARCH CENTER OF LOCAL PRODUCTS

RESEARCH CENTER FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY: HYDRAULIC POWER AND AQUACULTURE.

RESEARCH CENTER FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY: SOLAR ENERGY.

ZOO-THERAPY CENTER

RESEARCH CENTER OF LOCAL PRODUCTS

SEED BANK

PLASENCIA

CÁCERES

BADAJOZMÉRIDA

ZAFRA

VALENCIA DE ALCÁNTARA

MARVAO

REGUENGOS

EVORA

BEJASINES

LISBON

SEVILLA

CÓRDOBA

CÓRDOBACIUDAD REAL

MADRID

SALAMANCA

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LISBON

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In this big picture that is the AL-EX project, this proposal is based on the creation of a R+D centers network that would be based in the intersection between high biodiversity points and the old and abandoned railroad tracks. Therefore these centers would have both, a character for the private research as well as a public use and they would help these two regions to develop and take advantage of their resources without getting overcrowded.

This project has two major impact areas. One towards the foreign market to the regions and countries, both scientific and economic, tourism or in the food industry, and another area where it would impact on the others projects to carry out within the region so that they are interconnected.

In order to define the exact location for each center, it was developed a layering process based on the intersection of:

- AL-EX REGION: The AL-EX region includes the regions of Extremadura in Spain and Alentejo in Portugal. The different aspects that these two regions have in common had led us to propose that both of the work together in order to take advantage of their resources.

- BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEMS: Both regions are well known for having unique and particular species, animals, plants and unique ecosystems. It is also very characteristic the changes in the landscape from the dehesa, to the mon-tado and the different mountains that surround the area.

- INFRASTRUCTURE: Both regions are connected by means of roads and railway tracks. Many of the railroad tracks have been abandoned because of the construction of the TGV. So, why do not reuse and rehabilitate this railroad tracks?

- LOCATION: Once I have analyzed the region, the biodiver-sity and ecosystems and the network of railroad tracks that crosses both regions I can set the location for the different R+D centers. The different R+D centers would be located in the intersection of the different hotspots of biodiversity and the network of abandoned or in disuse railroad tracks.

Once the location for each center was defined appeared the need to develope either all of them in general terms of focusing on just one.

The result of this decision came when analyzing the different relationships between the centers being the School of Eco-logic Agriculture the one with the most of the relations.

In order to define the exact location of this center, two more layers where added to the process (”Cañadas Reales and the “Via de la Plata”). This intersection leads the project to the “Dehesa de los Magines”.

The “Dehesa de los Magines” is an area of influence by the Monfregüe Natural Reserve and it is considered as biosphere reserve, special area of birds protection (ZEPA), community interest area (LIC) and a star life space (no light pollution), as well as for its ecologic farming activity.

It is because of the reasons of being located in a privileged environment, with easy access to the different lands thanks to the rural paths, the considerable amount of natural resources and the closed grasslands in which organic crops could be carried out into practice, that the project considers this location the appropriate one for the School of Ecologic Agriculture.

The excellent location chosen for the development of the project was also a challenge at the time of developing it due to the beauty of the surrounding area and a bad action on it will imply ruining it.

The proposal therefore derives in the rehabilitation and reuse of two existing building which original use was for drying tobacco and nowadays they are in ruins.The action inside them was as challenging as acting in the surroundings. Both buildings outstand because of their dimensions and their presence in the area acting as a point of reference for the travelers.

The strategy to develop takes into account these characteristics and it takes advantage of them. But the proposal also takes into account the fact that there exist three different types of movements that would take part around the center: transhumance movements, vehicles movements and people movements.

Taking into account the existence of the railroad track as well as the natural environment, three different paths (platforms) are created distinguishing between the arrivals of the three paths to the center resulting into different entrances for each use.

The project is therefore defined by the development of the inner program as well as the development of the platforms giving access to the center.

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AREA FOR PREPARING FOOD

LABORATORY CLASS CLASS CLASS

AREA FOR PREPARING FOOD

LABORATORY

SCREEN ROOM

ADMINISTRATION

DIRECTOR’S OFFICE

MEETING ROOM

EXPERIMENTAL KITCHEN

TASTING ROOM

DINNING ROOM CAFETERIALOBBY

TOILET TOILET

CLOACK ROOM AND SPACE FOR THE STAFF

MARINA DURÁN SANCHOAL-EX PROJECT: SCHOOL OF ECOLOGIC AGRICULTURE,

DESIGN STUDIO II2nd BA IN ARCHITECTURE

IE UNIVERSITY