Torrevieja approves the project to rebuild the nuns’ former kindergarten as a technological hub

The Torrevieja City Council’s Local Government Board will approve a construction project to consolidate and renovate the former La Purísima kindergarten and the Francisco Vallejos Choir building, located in the town centre and unused for years. The base tender budget for these projects is €3,359,064.

Domingo Paredes, Councillor for Heritage, stated that this project is an important step in transforming a neglected area into a landmark facility for Torrevieja residents owing to its location and history. It combines the preservation of the building’s historic identity, which will keep its original façade, with a modern, sustainable, and wheelchair accessible design.

The current state of both buildings, particularly the former kindergarten, reveals major structural flaws. The structure, made of brick walls and wooden beams, is underused, and its condition of degradation makes it impossible to repurpose without extensive renovations. The next structure, which was once a nursing home and later became the headquarters of the Francisco Vallejos Torrevieja Choir, likewise needs extensive repairs on its top levels to maintain the safety and functionality of its areas.

The renovation project includes dismantling the current structures before reconstructing them, restoring the complex’s original appearance, and ensuring that the levels between the two buildings are consistent. This decision eliminates the issues caused by the level difference while also optimising the interior architecture and circulation.

The proposed project will provide the new complex with adaptable and multifunctional rooms. The choir building will include university study rooms. The former kindergarten will be converted into a multipurpose space with an auditorium, exhibition halls, a technological innovation hub (which will be put out to bid in the coming weeks), a coworking area, workspaces for digital nomads, training rooms, and workshop and meeting spaces, as well as a hospitality and service area in the courtyard.

Domingo Paredes emphasised that this new urban facility would serve as a meeting place, a cultural and social centre for the neighbourhood, and an economic engine that is separate from the city’s previous business districts. Furthermore, it will create synergies between educational, cultural, and business activities, allowing for an effective response to the requirements of the city’s population.

Finally, a photovoltaic system is planned for the building’s roof, which will contribute to the complex’s energy self-consumption and align with the City Council’s sustainability aims. Furthermore, old building features will be conserved and reused to strengthen the new space’s connection to the city’s historical memory.