Opposite to the Murcia Auditorium, the new Congress Hall was meant to fulfil the programme of the existing construction, built in 1995, which however did not allow any kind of physical attachment given its emphatic triangular shape. The mild climate of the region, as well as the character of the site, a green area in the in the city outskirts nearby the riverbank, let both buildings achieve a virtual connection throughout an open garden, a space for interplay. The building is organised by means of a series of naves linked by patios, openings for light, tying up a mesh that alters the perception of what is indoors or what is outdoors. Inside, orientation is achieved by the permanent vision of the outside: towards the Auditorium and the landscape. In and out confound in the glazing reflections. This way, rooms succeed each other in an intimate lightened space, throughout the courtyards, whose measurement keep the direct sunlight controlled within a constant transparency. Just like in traditional architecture, patios are conceived as expression of quietness and concentration, underlining the relationship among people.
The new building hosts different uses than those of the Auditorium, and the necessary link between them is reached by a constant visual contact through the patios. The rooms, meant to house exhibitions, congresses or dinning areas of several capacities, allow the connection among them as well as with the grand interior space. Within this organisation, courtyards play a key role as extension for the interiors of this multipurpose space. The new buildings formal independence from the main Auditorium, with a reference to the golden stone, integrates within the F.I.C.A. park area. The naves volumes and the openings of undefined scale, that translate into the inner courtyards, are made out of glass and concrete. Inside, halls, rooms and galleries are treated as a unity in which concrete, wood panels and stretched metal ceilings define an almost industrial character, building up a space of pursued austerity.
