Moneo Brock unveils Plaza de la Villa, a project located in Sencelles, a quaint municipality in central Majorca, Spain. The project addresses a crucial space for the citizens of Sencelles, bordered by the Parish Church, the Town Hall, and local bar, “Café Cán Paris”.

Over the course of the last decades, the plaza had lost its status as an effective public space, basically being used as a parking lot. The competition brief called for the reevaluation of the vehicular circulation in order to recover the plaza’s historic function as the town’s principal space of congregation. In collaboration with the architects, a process of citizen participation helped further define the needs and desires of the residents, which included shade, tranquility, vegetation, benches, and flexibility of use.

One of the project’s main objectives was to provide universal accessibility. A new pedestrian ramp connects two platforms that divided the space, while at the same time increasing visual and physical connectivity across the plaza. The ramp is integrated into a field of fixed stone bleachers offering a spontaneous meeting space, a new geography for children’s play, or seating for events held in the plaza throughout the year.

Adapting to the local climate, four outdoor rooms shaded by pergolas, surrounded by abundant vegetation and furnished with colorful benches, provide areas for rest and sensory enjoyment. All building and plant materials are of local origin, and the employment of local crafts and construction techniques assured that the square would have a decidedly Majorcan character.

The new public space is now one of social integration and empowerment. By eliminating sidewalks, curbs, and asphalt, new continuous paving unifies and enlarges the square, erasing architectural barriers, while maintaining a one-way vehicular passage delimited by bollards.