Laboral City of Culture stands on a small promontory in the Cabueñes valley. Bearing in mind the natural shape of the terrain and the direction of the winds, the architect chose to arrange the building in such a way that its access is done in the opposite direction to what would seem logical, with Gijón as the starting point.
On May 19, 2016, it was declared an asset of cultural interest, with the category of monument.
View from the main entrance.
Wooden model of the entire project.
View from the gardens.
This great monument, built between 1946 and 1956 according to the ideals of classical architecture, had very different origins. After a serious accident in a mine in the Caudal basin, different local personalities got together to promote the creation of an orphanage capable of caring for a thousand students who are children of miners and that would have the different dependencies required for the development of life student.
Its construction, directed by the architect Luis Moya, had the best professionals of the time. During the course of the works, the Ministry of Labor decided to create the Labor Universities, so the Mining Orphanage ended up becoming the Labor University of Gijón, the first in Spain and where generations of qualified students and professionals were trained.
The Labor University was directed by the Jesuits from its inception until 1978, while the administration (laundry, kitchens...) was entrusted to the Poor Clare nuns.
The abandonment and consequent deterioration of the building came in the 1980s and ten years later the Principality decided to take control of it and rehabilitate it, in addition to developing new projects aimed at improving its image and functionality until it became the cultural and architectural icon of Gijon.
It is located on the main façade, with an entrance arch topped in the form of a tower. Above this semicircular arch, there is a shield with the eagle of Saint John and the yoke and arrows of the Catholic Monarchs, adorned with two tenant angels in allusion to the coats of arms and shields found on the facades of the Renaissance houses and palaces.
The dimensions of the entrance arch are greater than those of the lower arch that connects the atrium with the square. With this, it is possible to highlight the access, while obtaining a peculiar visual effect.
The difference in height of the arches alters our perception of space, so that the length of the atrium appears greater than it really is.
Through which it is accessed and, as its name indicates, it is a rectangular patio in the manner of a Corinthian atrium, with ten granite columns ten and a half meters high each.
We will find the Visitor Reception Center and the Laboral Store, an avant-garde design space where you can find out about the guided tours and cultural programming of the City of Culture.
Whose architecture is inspired by the Plaza de San Marcos in Venice. With its 150 meters long by 50 wide, and paved with granite slabs, this open patio is the monumental heart of the city, structuring the entire complex around it: the Theater on the right, the Church and the emblematic Tower on the front, and the students' residential pavilion to the left.
The old auditorium of the Labor University is currently the Auditorium Theater with the largest capacity in Asturias, where all kinds of artistic productions, congresses, seminars are held... With dimensions similar to those of the Parthenon, it has a Hellenic-style façade with a central pediment topped with a large coat of arms of Spain in 1945.
The front of the stage was decorated with a one hundred and twenty square meter fresco entitled Allegory of arts and crafts, these mural paintings allegorically reflect the history of the founding of the Universidad Laboral and its chilling teaching method, made by the Andalusian painter Enrique Segura, also author of the frescoes in the Sala de Pinturas of the Laboral.
The façade of the Church is richly ornamented with sculptures of the most important Saints and educators of the Catholic Church, as well as mosaics of Archangels and Evangelists and the Virgin of Covadonga in a niche.
The interior has an elliptical plan, covered by an impressive Byzantine-style dome weighing 2,300 tons.
With an area of 807 m², it is the largest church with an elliptical plan in the world.
Outside, on the lintel of the door, an image of the Virgin of Covadonga is placed in a central niche and, flanking it, four Corinthian columns support the images of Saint Joseph, Saint Ignatius, Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
The image of Saint Joseph stands out for lacking a head as a result of the accident that occurred when the large metallic sphere located above the door of the church fell off.
Above, the Apostle Santiago on horseback and two angels adoring a reproduction of the Victoria Cross, a symbol of Asturias, a work by the sculptor José Espinós Alonso made of bronze inlaid with crystals, marble and colored stones.? Also on both sides of the central niche, sixteen other statues represent the most important Saints and educators of the Catholic Church.
The interior is covered by a dome with an estimated weight of two thousand three hundred tons and mounted on twenty pairs of intersecting brick ribs that support the structure without the need for columns.
The height from the ground to the start of the arches of the dome is twenty-five meters and thirty-three to the center of the oculus. The sunlight should enter through this and illuminate the center of the church, although at present this is not the case because the dome gave way slightly. Entirely paved with extremely gleaming and polished marble. The temple is deconsecrated and is used for private events and as a temporary exhibition hall.
Inspired by the Giralda of Seville, the Tower of Hercules in Coruña and the Lighthouse of Alexandria and with a height of 130 m. It is the symbol and emblem of the City of Culture. An internal elevator allows access to the viewpoint in just 29 seconds to the 17th floor, without a doubt the best vantage point in Gijón where the best views of the Cantabrian Coast and the city of Gijón are contemplated. It is the tallest building in the Principality of Asturias and the tallest stone building in Spain.
From the arcades of the old student residence you can access the Café de la Laboral, a cafeteria in which part of the original furniture has been restored. The internal spiral staircase leads to the Auditorium, which is shaped like a ship's prow and has circular windows with a clear maritime aesthetic.
In the southern area of the building are the Gardens and the sports area. Designed by Javier de Winthuyssen and Ramón Ortiz Ferré in the style of the Generalife Gardens of the Alhambra in Granada, they are a dream place to stroll and enjoy, populated by large magnolias and grasses among which various water circuits, ditches and fountains are interspersed of water.
The most enigmatic and slightly dark area that recalls the past where the Poor Clare nuns, in charge of both the kitchens and the laundry for the young students, dedicated a good part of their lives. These facilities remain intact, as if ready to start up again.
We await your contributions to complete it.
You can send any plan related to LABORAL in format: jpg, pdf or much better in DWG.
We intend to pass most of these plans to CAD, to see each of them in more detail.
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