# Sociópolis (Valencia), a new futurist block



## Ender (Mar 13, 2006)

It's now under construction in Valencia this new futurist block. It will be finished in 2009.

*Urban Project > Introduction*

Sociópolis is a project fomented by the Generalitat Valenciana for the construction of a new model neighbourhood of accessible housing, in line with the modern tradition of investigating and proposing new habitable environments that reflect the social reality of the time.
The project promotes the construction of housing that responds to the needs of the new types of family unit (young people, the elderly, single-parent families, etc.), both owner-occupied and rented, in a quality urban setting in which the landscaped areas, social amenities and good architecture generate urban excellence.

Sociópolis was presented at the Valencia Biennial in 2003, as a project in which 13 international architecture firms took part. The project put forward a model of new urban development in which housing and multifunctional amenities were integrated in an agricultural environment, a continuation and updating of the model constituted by the Mediterranean hortulus.

Following the presentation of the project it was decided to construct a first neighbourhood of 2,800 homes in the La Torre district to the south of the city of Valencia, on a 350,000 m2 site on the banks of the new course of the diverted River Turia; the same principles would be followed, but on a larger scale.

In this project the urban transformation is guided by a commitment to ensuring the maximum protection for the existing huerta (one of the traditional agricultural zones surrounding the city of Valencia) irrigated with waters from the River Turia by way of channels originally dug by the Arabs some 800 years ago. The new urban development reinforces the protection of the landscape and the environment while at the same time fulfilling a much-needed social function, making housing available at a controlled price to a great number of people.

Within the neighbourhood has four well-conserved historic farmhouses, and around these will be the focal points for 'urban farm' zones cared for by the local residents. The neighbourhood will also promote social interaction and a sense of community by means of sports facilities such as a soccer pitch, an athletics circuit, games areas and a skating rink.

All of the proposed buildings are oriented toward the central landscaped zone, which has a surface area of 120,000 m2, with direct access from the peripheral traffic circuit running round the complex.
In addition to residential blocks and towers the neighbourhood will have amenity buildings accommodating a hybrid programme, around which the public life of the neighbourhood will be organized. The public buildings will have rental housing intended for young people under thirty and elderly people, and at the same time all of the buildings will fulfil their public vocation by means of programmes that encourage social relations, such as an arts centre, a kindergarten, a sports zone, a social centre, a youth centre and studios for artists.

The architects participating in the project includes VICENTE GUALLART/ TOYO ITO/ WILLY MULLER ARQUITECTOS, MANUEL GAUSA/ SCAPE ARCHITECTURE. Duncan Lewis/ R&SIE ARCHITECTS. FRANÇOIS ROCHE/ GEODE BLOCK/ YO2 ARCHITECTS. Young Joon Kim./ THE OBSERVER DESIGN GROUP. JM LIN / EA ARQUITECTOS. Antonio Lleyda, Eduardo de la Peña/ SOGO ARQUITECTOS/ JOSE LUIS MATEO. MAP ARQUITECTOS/ MVRDV / COLOMER& DUMONT/ ARQUITECTURAS TORRES NADAL/ ARQUITECTURA MEDIATERRANEA. José María Lozano/ ABALOS & HERREROS/ NO.MAD ARQUITECTOS. Eduardo Arroyo.


































































*
BUILDINGS*

Sharing Tower

























Apartments for the elderly









Pile Tower

















Residential









SCAPE ARCHITECTURE









BRICK BOXES









GREG LYNN FORM









URBAN MAT









VALENCIA BLOCK









Dom EXTica









BLOCK WITH AGRICULTURAL CENTRE









APARTMENT TOWER









HUERTA TOWER









TOB









R-10 TOWERS

























RADIAL TOWER









SOLAR TOWER

















101373


----------



## Ender (Mar 13, 2006)

Sociópolis map:


----------



## Carpenter (Apr 19, 2006)

fantastic project, Valencia will be a great internacional city like Barcelona with a great a little usual architecture.


----------



## Ender (Mar 13, 2006)

Yes. Valencia in ten years it has changed a lot. And in a few years it will be more stunning.


----------



## Carpenter (Apr 19, 2006)

^i hope so, Ender


----------



## Johan (Nov 14, 2004)

Lots of special buildings there! some very nice , some not so nice... But all of them very diffrent and interesting!


----------



## Ender (Mar 13, 2006)

Yes, some of them are horribles. But there are nice buildings. It will be amazing once constructed. It's a special block.


----------



## markcode (Sep 12, 2005)

most of all are very nice; actually i don't like one of them bat who cares about that :cheers: :colgate:


----------



## TallBox (Sep 21, 2002)

cool. i was in valencia last week... it seems that the south of the city is pretty empty - especially the mouth of the river turia. lovely city; love what theyve done with the dried up river. this project looks great... also i saw some great pieces of modern architecture in the university district!


----------



## sharpie20 (Nov 5, 2005)

Interesting looking project, i think it's very modern but some of the buildings are kind of ugly.


----------



## Enzo911 (Jun 14, 2006)

shaun said:


> cool. i was in valencia last week... it seems that the south of the city is pretty empty - especially the mouth of the river turia. lovely city; love what theyve done with the dried up river. this project looks great... also i saw some great pieces of modern architecture in the *university district!*


Where? UPV? Blasco Ibañez? Burjassot? Tarongers?


----------



## crossbowman (Apr 26, 2006)

doesn't look so nice IMO...some towers are interesting(in terms of architecture)
but others are awful! :runaway:


----------



## ZZ-II (May 10, 2006)

really funny projects


----------



## AndySocks (Dec 8, 2005)

Dum dum dum...


----------



## oduguy1999 (Jul 27, 2004)

awesome project


----------



## endeve (Mar 24, 2003)

just looking at this project makes me cum


----------



## samsonyuen (Sep 23, 2003)

Wow, this project looks cool!


----------



## Wasca (Jul 20, 2007)

News?


----------



## Victhor (Sep 11, 2002)

Wasca said:


> News?


Some buildings are almost finished, but most of them have not started yet, it's going very slow because of the crisis, the demand o new houses is very low.
To keep you updated:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=352969&page=10

This was posted in August:



superlopez said:


> Hola, cuelgo algunas fotos tomas ayer de la urbanización. Se ve que va bastante avanzada con las Torres de HAB-CO COOPERATIVA VALENCIANA D'HABITATGES, VIVIENDAS COLUVAMAR 2012, S. COOP. DE VIVIENDAS y PROARA EDIVAMA, S.L. muy avanzadas para a principios de año estar terminadas. Las dos torre del INSTITUTO VALENCIANO DE VIVIENDA, S.A. ya esta practicamente coronada y pronto comenzarán a cerrar la fachada. La torre FUTUR HABITAT, S.A cerca de la de proara ya comienzan a poner los pilares de la 3ª planta. GRUPO VALENCIANO DE ALQUILER PROTEGIDO, S.L. y ECISA GRUPO INMOBILIARIO, S.L.U. parece que tambien comenzaron las obras realizando el hueco para garajes. VIVIENDAS EDIVAL, S.A se quedo paralizada a falta de saber cuando retoman las obras. Por lo que respecta a la urbanización , se ve claramente lo que es la forma con la pavimentación casi terminada y sus farolas colocadas. Poco faltarará para comenzar con el plantado del arbolado que en mi opinión es cuando dara el verdadero cambio a la urbanización que pienso sera en septiembre.
> Bueno eso es todo por ahora... Saludos.


----------



## Wasca (Jul 20, 2007)

Victhor said:


> Some buildings are almost finished, but most of them have not started yet, it's going very slow because of the crisis, the demand o new houses is very low.
> To keep you updated:
> http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=352969&page=10
> 
> This was posted in August:


ok, thank you. :cheers:


----------

