Foster + Partners has won the international competition to create La Ciudad del Motor -Motor City a major new leisure and cultural zone within a new motor sports centre in Alcañiz, Aragon, it was announced today. The scheme was chosen from a shortlist of internationally-renowned architectural practices; Jean Nouvel, Dominique Perrault, UNStudio and MVRDV.
The design of Motor City is inspired by the sleek aerodynamic aesthetic of the racing car. The smooth forms and volumes of the building are sculpted by solar and wind patterns with a lightweight roof that floats over the entire complex. Motor City will use passive environmental controls as well as harnessing renewable energy, enabling the whole complex to be carbon neutral.
The roof integrates sustainable design elements such as photovoltaic cells and solar thermal tubes on its surface together with an array of wind turbines. The sweeping roof culminates in a tower which gives the development its identity. When illuminated at night, it will become a beacon for Motor City, echoing the nearby Parador of Alcañiz announcing a new era of sustainable development for the region.
The practice is opening a new office in central Madrid in May to look after and develop its work in Spain. This competition win is the latest in a group of projects the practice has recently won throughout Spain that includes Madrids City of Justice, the headquarters for Repsol YPF, a winery for Faustino and a masterplan for Seville.
