The initial conception of the project starts from being aware of the place it occupies in the city, what it has around it in its immediate surroundings, and what it has under it. Therefore, the approach to the building from the Plaza del Tossal is not very different from any other traditional building in the Carme neighborhood. Already in front of the Plaza Tavernes de Valldigna some arches invite you to access an extension of the street, to observe the archaeological remains and enter the most public part of the building. Towards the pedestrian street Davallada de Sant Miquel the building also maintains the same character and a new arch marks a quieter, private and protected access, twinned with the less public part of the program. 

Already in the interior the true raison d’être of the project is manifested; open spaces, concentrating the services to give prominence to the light, the double heights and the crossed views. The materiality of the entire building supports this idea, curtains as a separation of spaces, translucent glass, clear walls and floors accompany the user in order to achieve spaces with a degree of indefinition such that they can develop various activities. 

The great programmatic challenge posed by the competition’s program of necessity seems clear; how to make ruins with great heritage value coexist with the necessary program of the Espai Dones. The first floor houses the most public part: two multipurpose rooms, a reception and access to the archaeological remains. The first and second floors contain more private spaces, offices and rooms for workers. Finally, the third floor, which contains the auditorium, repeats the strategy of the first floor: a single space capable, by means of acoustic curtains, of being divided into three according to desires and needs. 

Inside the building, a triple height, a large skylight and light walkways allow the perimeter route around the archaeological intervention. This great void is delimited by two dividing walls that allow to know the history of the place, one of them is exposed as a witness of what was there before. The other, the new one, proposes an educational tour through all the floors. 

The building prioritizes the spaces designed for the people who will use them, so it shares a certain degree of indefinition in such a way that they can be occupied in different ways depending on the needs of the users.