A conceptual design proposing 5.000 new homes for Sarriguren, Spain.

Sarriguren Housing Proposal

Region

Northern Spain

Timespan

3 weeks

An alternative plan to add 5.000 new homes to the Valle de Egues.

Services

Design Consulting

Design Process

Watch the full project take shape here

The original housing development proposal seeks to expand into green fields next to Sarriguren. However, what we gain in housing, we lose in natural space. So is there an alternative that can add the needed housing without encroaching too heavily on this green area?

PSIS approved housing expansion plan for Sarriguren. The design is currently being discussed with residents.

Involving the People

Sarriguren, a planned neighborhood near Pamplona, is proposing a 5,000-apartment expansion that would urbanize 120 hectares of agricultural land currently used for cycling and recreation. Residents are actively debating this plan, and the response has been vocal: people are not happy about losing the agricultural and natural land that surrounds their neighborhood.

Before accepting expansion as the only path forward, I wanted to know whether the neighborhood could absorb that growth internally.

The study began with a site analysis to map green space per capita against WHO benchmarks that advice people live within 300m of green space. This was followed by observing how road placement was limiting access to the central park, and identifying underused vacant lots within the existing development. From there, I developed a counter-proposal that reconfigures the park edge, pedestrianizes internal circulation, and introduces compact mid-rise blocks modeled on Pamplona's city center typology.

While the alternative plan would remove roughly 5ha of park space, all residents would still live with 300m of park space. The additional land left to the east by emphasizing compact building development would leave between 30-60ha of land untouched. Overall this would increase the amount of green space per resident from 19.3m2 to 24.8m2, delivering more green space than the existing expansion plan. This feasibility study shows that 5,000 units within and immediately adjacent to the existing neighborhood.

This proposal is a direct response to resident concerns and a step toward finding alternatives that honor both the housing need and the community's relationship with the land around them.m2

After publishing a short on instagram calling for resident input. I met with Xabi, left, who works in the neighborhood to discuss this alternative proposal.
This alternative plan would remove ~5ha of green space in the center of the neighborhood but would preserve between 30-60ha of natural lands that would otherwise be urbanized by the PSIS approved proposal.
Alternative Sarriguren plan showing additional medical services and schools (in red) as requested by the citizens
A proposed pedestrian zone like that of Carlos III in Pamplona would encourage people to be outside and walk into the park space that will be preserved to the east.
A mock-up of what the octagonal building facades could look like. Breaking up the horizontal facades with varying heights allows for visual diversity and more housing options in the neighborhood.

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