Proposal for a reuse of Getafe's bullfighting arena

Competition, 2025, shortlisted

​with Tim Langerbeins,

collaborators: Maximilian Abeln, Julian Kirchner, Teresa Di Muccio, Erjia Ren, Sara Sapone

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Re-sourcing the Getafe Bullring through Minimal Inter-

vention and Maximum Reuse

 

A PLACE ALREADY FULL OF POTENTIAL

The Getafe bullring is not a ruin. It is not a failure. It is a structure waiting to be reinterpreted, not replaced. The guiding principle of our proposal is modest but radical: You don’t need to do much. Everything is already there – space, structure, memory, and identity. Our approach is not one of addition, but of subtraction and revaluation. By carefully peeling back what isolates the building from the public, we reveal its latent potential as a new kind of civic space: open, educational, and symbolic.

 

URBAN INTEGRATION: HEALING THE SCAR

The bullring sits in a fragmented context – wedged between disparate neighborhoods, severed by infrastructure. We address this not by overpowering gestures, but by introducing a clear and generous shared-surface pedestrian axis. This new spine dissolves the physical and perceptual scars of streets and rails, reconnecting the park, the arena, and adjacent public spaces.

The same material logic extends into the surrounding neighborhood in the form of a recurring textile el-ment – a striking red canopy that mirrors the bullfighter’s muleta. It unites fragmented urban voids, signals different types of use (markets, cultural events, learning stations), and transforms isolated pockets into active public nodes. Through this subtle choreography, the arena becomes not a monument, but a hinge – a central force of reconnection.

 

THE BUILDING: REPAIRED, NOT REPLACED

We propose a minimal, targeted repair of the arena, without major structural interventions. This pragmatic act allows the existing architecture to retain its strength, material honesty, and spatial clarity. There is no need for excessive demolition or architectural overwriting outside of precise removal of disturbing elements. Instead, we only remove the perimeter fence and reclaim the space beneath the stands. These shaded, robust spaces – once hidden – become generous, accessible zones for public use. The non-loadbearing walls of the southern annexes are dismantled to create a semi-circular void—an open platform for exhibitions, lectures, markets, and school events. In contrast, the northern rooms are retained and reprogrammed into a service zone with toilets, meeting rooms, storage, and gastronomy. Flexibility is key: the building can host both intimate gatherings and large-scale assemblies.

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ARCHITECTURE OF SYMBOL AND MEMORY

The most visible intervention is light: a textile membrane in vibrant red envelops the façade. Referencing the symbolic language of bullfighting, this canopy shifts the narrative from death and domination to life and learning. It shades the upper stands, signals renewal, and grants the building a new architectural presence within the cityscape. Beneath the arena’s skin, former cattle enclosures are left partially intact – preserved as a memorial space or repurposed into workshops. Their ambiguous presence invites reflection without nostalgia: a site of contested tradition becomes a field of collective reimagination.

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A REVERSAL OF MEANING

At the heart of our proposal lies a symbolic inversion. Once a theatre of violence, the arena is now a space of cultivation and care. We propose to plant the arena floor with vegetation – a small forest or garden dedicated to learning, biodiversity, and interspecies cohabitation. Animals – once killed for spectacle – may now be cared for as part of ecological and educational programs. Pupils from local schools could engage with farming, animal welfare, or ecology here. This gesture redefines the very core of the building. The void once staged death is now a container of life. It is a spatial manifesto for a new value system—one that centers care over conquest.

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LOW-COST, HIGH-IMPACT

All interventions are grounded in economic realism. Instead of costly construction, we reuse existing spaces. Instead of elaborate technology, we rely on simplicity: textile, light, vegetation, shade. This minimalism is not born from scarcity, but from conviction. In doing less, we reveal more. The building’s robustness becomes its resource; its history, a layer to be worked with, not

against. The arena becomes a prototype—not for architectural transformation through spectacle, but for meaningful reuse through attentiveness.

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RE-SOURCING AS RE-SEEING

Our project answers Europan’s theme not with novelty, but with clarity. “Re-sourcing” begins by re-seeing what is already there. The arena does not need to be reinvented – it needs to be recontextualized, reconnected, and revalued. Through minimal, precise moves, we transform it into an urban hinge, a symbol of care, and a place for education, exchange, and remembrance. In this spirit, we leave the city with a simple message: It’s already here. You just need to open the gate.