LINAZASORO IN REIMS. THE PUBLIC SPACE AS THE MEMORY OF THE PLACE

The problem of the relationship between the old and the new runs through the entire built work of Spanish architect Jose Ignacio Linazasoro. In fact, his best projects are probably those in which he works with pre-existing buildings, establishing a dialogue between memory and contemporaneity. This is especially true of his interventions on public spaces in heritage surroundings, and the case of the square in front of Reims Cathedral (1992, 2003-2008) is emblematic in this respect. linazasoro's project for Reims starts from a reflection on the urban meaning of French Gothic cathedrals and from there he considers restructuring the square by recovering the outlines of the surrounding medieval fabric. One of the unique aspects of his conceptual design is that he sees the square as expanded architecture: the plaza becomes part of the cathedral and reintegrates it into the city. With a contemporary but essential language brimming with historical resonances, he plays with the topography, paving and vegetation to recover the memory of the place. The article also places the intervention of the Basque architect in the context of his own work and of the debate in France on the way to treat this type of spaces.