José Manuel Aladro Prieto, professor of architecture
at the University of Sevilla, addressed the Scientific Symposium in celebration
of the 80th anniversary of DO Jerez on “Renovation versus Tradition:
Architecture and the city in the second half of the XX century.” He began by
saying that “the dilemma between renovation and tradition is so present in Jerez
that it affects its architecture, urban planning and everything symbolic.”
 |
| Jose Manuel Aladro Prieto |
The revolution in mechanisation and technology which
hit Jerez along with the rest of Europe during the second half of the last
century provoked a transformation in the culture of wine, “with a dismantling
of the model of architecture, city and land established since the XIX century.
The change of land model brought some lagares from the vineyards to the city,
but the change is more relevant in the opposite direction since at the start of
the XX century mechanised transport made it possible for some companies to move
their installations to the vineyard, meaning the wine was leaving the city.”
From then on the landscape of Jerez changed and
bodegas started to establish themselves at the city’s perimeter at the new
Carretera de Circunvalación (ring road) built as part of general urbanisation
plans. At first these projects allowed the two big firms of the city to expand
towards the Cuatro Caminos area, but the bodegas were growing so fast that the
municipality could not satisfy their needs. The euphoria was short lived as
there was no longer enough land for the immense bodega complexes being built at
the time.
 |
| Huge bodegas with vineyards at the edge of the city |
In parallel with the construction of these vast
complexes, there were changes in building materials. Concrete and steel
structures are now common as they can be made bigger to accommodate conveniently
and efficiently all the functions of a bodega in one place. Most present
externally the aesthetics of the traditional bodega but inside they are simply
huge industrial spaces.
No comments:
Post a Comment