"I was built on water,

my walls are of fire,

this is my badge and my coat of arms."

These are the lines of the ancient poem that refers to the first Muslim dwellings on the banks of the Manzanares River, which were veiled from a bird's eye view from the Emir's fortress. Today we stand on this very spot, at the top of the Cuesta de la Vega. Now a strategic area characterized by its complex topography and its cultural and historical importance, it is proposed to develop a building to house a residential complex and a study center for the walled enclosure.

The main project is located in Mohammed I Square, perched on the old line of the wall. This complex is called The Dam, which acts as an urban boundary, a limit to building and a container for all construction. An architectural complex that houses in its main volume residential space (which distributes three types of housing: reception, productive and tourism) and in the east wing closes the block with the Study Centre and public spaces.

The dwellings are organized through a matrix system based on a grid of 3.6 meters. Each unit is articulated through a spine, east-west, which allows the dwelling to be extended to create the different rooms of the user's choice. In addition, interior courtyards are incorporated into the access gallery to allow cross ventilation and natural light to enter. The second part of the program consists of generating public spaces. In which the conference rooms, library and study center are located.