276 Apuntes del Alcázar de Sevilla
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This gives an idea of the deterioration and reconstructions suf-
fered by these walls during history. After this, the ceramic pieces of
the parapet finish were cleaned, removing cement and sealing the
joints with lime mortar
Regarding gargoyles, which set the level of the new framework,
some new pieces had to be ordered because of the proximity of the
drain to the façade or being completely broken. They were ordered
to a potter who elaborated them in a traditional way (handmade)
following a model coming from the gallery.
Similar interventions —repairing wall parameters, cleaning para-
pets, replacing gargoyles— were carried out in the access points of
the uncovered passage, that is to say, the two staircases, the rear
area of the
Puerta de Marchena
and the attached flat roof clos-
ing the north flank of the
Estanque de Mercurio
. In this last area,
which works now as a landing after the recovery of the uncovered
passage, we had to remove the existent flooring so that the wir-
ings could run under it without being seen. Therefore, we used
the same handmade flooring chosen for the
Galería del Grutesto
for covering it in order to unify the esthetic of the action —figures
16 y 17.
Wirings
The wirings running through the flat roof of the
Galería del
Grutesco
came from a room placed at the bottom of the south
end of the complex and arrived until the
Puerta de Marchena
and,
through the parapets of the uncovered terrace located in the far
north of the
Estanque de Mercurio
, they went to the
Palacio Gótico
crossing the roof of the North Viewpoint. As well, there were elec-
trical panels, some of them useless and outdated, by the
Puerta de
Marchena
, in the staircase coming from the
Jardín de la Alcoba
and
in the room of one of the towers.
Our suggestion considered the removal of every electrical panel
that could be seen during visits —uncovered passage and interi-
or of the towers, now accessible— and the wiring redirectioning
through a new false ceiling including trap doors every twelve me-
ters. In the far north of the
Estanque de Mercurio
, monitoring cir-
cuits, lighting, Internet, telephone circuits and empty pipes for fu-
ture wirings are hidden between the flooring and the framework.
They finally run into a plantroom attached to the
Palacio Gótico
.
The false ceiling with hidden-profiling trap doors that could go un-
noticed was completely whitewashed —figure 16.
Lighting and safety measures
The different areas of the upper floor, now accessible, did not have
a lighting installation, except for the presence of some spotlights
used to light up the gardens or the Torre del Agua. On the other
hand, the access stairway and the covered passage had an outdated
system of lights with visible wirings, so we decided to design a new
system for the whole complex. This system was linked to the in-
tervention performed in the
Galería del Grutesco
, that is to say, the
attached terrace, the rear side of the
Puerta de Marchena
, the ac-
cess stairways, the interior of the towers, and the uncovered and
covered passages.
There were three basic premises during the making of the study, in
which monumental lighting experts participated:
• energy savings, so we used LED devices, which also guarantee a
longer lifetime and a better color rendering;
• minimal presence, so we used lights which allowed a dual circuit
connection and enabled it to work as normal or emergency light-
ing. It meant a reduction of the number of devices;
• little visual impact, so plain small designs were chosen.
According to its characteristics, in the inferior gallery there were two
possible types of lighting. In the opaque parts, those without open-
ings to the western façade, small lights were placed with a distance
between them as large as possible. In the opened parts, we wanted
to achieve a backlighting effect, giving more depth to the gallery and
complementing the monumental lighting on the façade. In order to
do that, we used asymmetric linear light fittings, placed in the interi-
or of the arcade, giving light to the floor and opposite wall, removing
the shadows and creating light curtains in these arcades. We con-
sidered that these linear lights were dimmable, giving them more
adaptive capacity for the future. In addition, this regulation was di-
vided in two parts: the first one from the far north until the
Puerta
del Privilegio
and the second one from there until the far south. This
way, we could regulate the light intensity of the whole complex, for
example, if the current lighting systemof the façade was renewed; or
punctually subdue light locally if there was an event which needed
it, such as the evening concert series performed during summer —
figures 18 and 19—.
In the uncovered passage, in the northern terrace of the
Estanque
de Mercurio
and in the access stairways the same kind of light has
been used —also with the double work as normal and emergency
lighting—, in order to unify the actions and keep the same estheti-
cal criteria. In the upper floor, we did not want light to go over
the parapets, we did not want light to be seen from the exterior
by watching the façade. That being so, we chose asymmetric light
distribution devices which light up the floor and the central area of
the passage, creating the wanted semi-darkness effect. Besides, so
that the action was as unnoticed as possible, we make the disposi-
tion of the lights meet the top of the safety handrail —figures 20
to 22—.
Regarding the safety handrail —necessary because of the new height
of the parapets after the framework readjustment caused by the new
level marked by the gargoyles—, we wanted to design an element
that could go as unnoticed as possible, either from the exterior, by
watching the façade, or from the interior, along the walk. It was not
easy, as the facings covering the
Galería del Grutesco
are very pecu-
liar and it was an element with a very-marked longitudinal direction
(almost 150 meters for an average width of one and a half meters). In
order to meet the previous requirements, we opted for placing the
attachments following the irregular rhythmmarked in the façade by
the pilasters finishing the parapets. Also, the attachments had to be
perpendicular to the façade, with the idea that its contour line could
go unseen. Once the handrail was finished by the addition of a sim-
ple horizontal shim, we had to reinforce it in order to avoid sagging
caused by the distance between attachments.
The attachments were fixed to the inner side of the parapets, avoid-
ing the damps that would have appeared if we had drilled the upper
side. An increase of the attachment at the lower end and two anchor
rods adapt the handrail to the irregularities of the wall. The entire
handrail is made of stainless steel —figure 23—.
