Saturday, July 05, 2008
A look at the Plaza de España
Works have apparently, FINALLY, finished on Santa Cruz' Plaza de España and, on last Monday night these fences, that had surrounded the building site for the last two years, were taken down. There's just the official inauguration to come now, but meanwhile you can enjoy a peek at the handiwork of Swiss architects, Herzog and de Meuron, in Tenerife's capital.
(In person if you go to Santa Cruz. Otherwise, you can see a photo here.)
According to Canarias 7, older folk don't seem that keen on the new plaza, with complaints that there are not enough trees or, that the huge circular, central lake takes up most of the space where once people could walk. The lake will contain 2,500 litres of water to a depth of 1 meter; its main attraction being a 30 meter high geyser that will discharge water intermittently (like a proper geyser with a volcanic heat source would do.)
The original plan was to have the lake fill and empty, with salt water, with the tides, but technical difficulties obliged them to make it fresh water.
During the next couple of weeks the lake will be filled and emptied and all the other working parts tested, while the tourist information office and the crafts' shop, run by Santa Cruz town hall, will take possession of their new pavilions in the plaza.
The Plaza de España remodelling project has cost close to 20 million euros (approx 15.92 million pounds), 80% of which has been financed by the Tenerife Island Corporation and the remaining 20% by Santa Cruz council.
The next stage of the project is to pedestrianize the Avenida de Anaga, taking the traffic beneath it in a tunnel and extending the Plaza de España across towards the port. The Canarian Government, which is responsible for this part of the project, has put it out to tender and it's expected that it will be awarded after the summer. The final stage appertains to the Port Authority, which is projected to have a grand esplanade with shops, restaurants and an hotel.
