On 10 October 2023 the University of the Basque Country and AH Asociados, local partners of oPEN Lab, unveiled the final design of the new square that will become a landmark and gathering point for all citizens of the Rochapea neighborhood.
The final design is the result of a long process that began with a participatory workshop held in June 2022. As part of this cocreation event, teams of local citizens developed a series of design alternatives that were subsequently analyzed and unified into a single proposal comprising the most relevant elements demanded by citizens.
A total of 12 recurrent demands were analyzed, 7 of them were immediately included in the preliminary proposal and 3 additional suggestions were incorporated with some modifications to comply with current regulation. The preliminary proposal was then presented by AH Asociados (architecture office responsible for the design of the square) and OBENASA (developer and contractor in charge of the renovation) to the municipal services of urbanism and gardening to gather their recommendations and final approval.
The final design is a long way from the bare concrete square initially foreseen and will become an oasis in the Rochapea district. As such the most prominent feature of the new design is the green areas which include trees providing shelter, as well as benches, a playground, a water-jets fountain, and other amenities that will fully integrate with the restaurants and bars on IWER’s ground floor.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the final design was very well received and the audience expressed satisfaction with the participatory approach followed. Therefore the future square sets a positive precedent and will be tangible evidence of the power of collaboration between citizens, private companies, municipal authorities, and academia.
