Baum collaborates in the project leaded by F. Gómez. The aim of the Council House of Córdoba was the transformation of an existing 17th century ruin into a multifunctional hall, a neutral and flexible space for cultural activities. The Chapter house’s vault collapsed during its original construction, so the building was never actually in use during its 3 centuries of existence. Thus, the intervention bases on the analyses of the ruin in its current state, proposing only those changes necessary to guarantee the required functions: general reinforcement and consolidation, a new roofing and flooring and a new-built piece containing a foyer to receive people, toilets and bar.
The volume remains, so, as a romantic ruin in the middle of the orchard. Located in the hyper-compact historic town of Cordoba, the unexpected garden was a former orchard for the monks. Long-time forgotten, the rehabilitation of the Chapter House enables not only the recovery of the building as a public facility, but also the re-insertion of the green space around into the public space sequence of the city.
New architecture emerges from the analysis of the existing. A long-developed, detailed, study of the existing piece preceded the contemporary intervention.
