Essence Of New Baztán: Urban Regeneration Of The Spanish Nuevo Baztán Municipality By Building Upon Its Industrial Founding Character | Architecture Thesis

Site Context

Nuevo Baztán is a small town in the southeast of the Community of Madrid, Spain. It was founded in 1709 by nobleman Juan de Goyeneche y Gastón to encourage manufacturing and repopulate the region’s more neglected areas. Architect José de Churriguera designed the urban layout, which included all necessary elements for village life. From the central church-palace complex, a structured grid of streets was established, incorporating workers’ housing and other essential buildings.

This proposal seeks to revive the town’s original founding purpose through the development of a lavender-based industry and the creation of a new public garden square that opens toward the surrounding countryside. It also focuses on restoring and protecting both the historical architecture and the area’s natural heritage. The selected site is a fenced olive grove, which has become a key element in the project’s vision. 

Design Process

Following site visits and an analysis of the municipality, several guidelines were established to guide the project’s implementation. The approach emphasizes environmentally respectful construction. Two architectural principles define the design: first, a reinterpretation of traditional Nuevo Baztán building methods using local materials and updated techniques; second, a deliberate contrast in form and feeling—combining the solidity and weight of the buildings’ subterranean levels with the lightness of their roofs and the organic, flowing character of the garden.

Final Outcome

The project aims to enhance the eastern façade of Nuevo Baztán’s historic buildings, located within a fenced olive grove. Central to the design is a new aromatic plant square, framed by two elongated structures—a distillery and a laboratory—aligned with the town’s original linear axes, visual corridors, and orthogonal urban grid. The plan also includes restoring the town’s architectural heritage. The deteriorated wineries are given new prominence through the addition of underground structures that function as olfactory rooms for scent experiences, connected directly to the garden square.

The project ultimately seeks to revive a neglected site while honoring the industrial legacy at the heart of Nuevo Baztán’s founding. It is structured around three core strategies:

1- Intervention: The restoration of culturally significant buildings that have fallen into disuse and suffer from typical aging-related issues. 

2- New Construction: The creation of both above-ground and subterranean structures using local, traditional materials—such as limestone with lime mortar and handmade brick—adapted through contemporary construction methods.

3- Landscape Design: The garden’s topography is carefully shaped to enhance airflow, facilitating the dispersion of aromatic particles throughout the space.

Additional sustainability strategies include passive bioclimatic design elements—like solar chimneys, thermal mass, and evaporative cooling—along with earthworks, water recycling from the distillation process to help recharge aquifers, and a focus on tourism as a means of economic revitalization.

Conclusion: Ultimately, this project revitalizes Nuevo Baztán by restoring its historical industrial roots with sustainable design. It restores cultural landmarks, integrates local materials, and connects the built environment with nature. With aromatic plant production, bioclimatic strategies, and tourism development, it preserves the town’s heritage while promoting economic and environmental growth for the future.

[This Academic Project has been published with text and images submitted by the student]