Valencian Architect Jose Maria Tomas on Valencia’s Seascape

Luxury Developments on the Go in Valencia

Valencian Architect Jose Maria Tomas on Valencia’s Seascape

Added: (March 2010)

Jose Maria Tomas, the principal architect involved in the metamorphosis of Valencia’s port area spoke recently about his desires for the future of the city’s unique seascape. Mr. Tomas was deeply involved in both the “Balcon al Mar” (1998) and the 32nd America’s Cup (2003) projects. These projects resulted in the total transformation of the port area of the city with the construction of one of the biggest marinas in the Mediterranean so as to facilitate the arrival of the America’s Cup.

Mr. Tomas describes the Valencian Sea as his source of inspiration and says that Valencia, can be divided into three areas principally, namely : it’s riverbed the Turia, the city itself and its adjoining sea. For all too long, the city lived with its back to the sea, however with the impetus of the two aforementioned projects a sea change in attitudes so to speak has occurred with Valencia now truly embracing her seaboard.

Mr. Tomas is a well known and accomplished local architect, having won numerous architectural awards down the years. His plans for the Spezia waterfront in Italy as well as the Westin Hotel in Valencia are just two award winning developments he has been associated with.

He sees Malvarrosa beach as being both : “enormous and magnificent” with Valencia having “one of the most beautiful coasts in Spain”.

He feels there is a need to complete the symbiosis between the sea and the city by developing the seafront and making available tourist activities both leisure and residential that will ultimately create an additional neighbourhood in the city.

Such an opinion has already been voiced by the owner of the Alinghi Team, Mr. Bertarelli that won the 32nd edition of the America’s Cup when he stated publicly that the port of Valencia should be made a purely sporting port with all commercial activity being moved up the coast to the port of Sagunto and at the same time building luxury properties on the seafront from Valencia to Sagunto.

The Valencian government is presently going ahead with the demolition of a significant part of the Cabañal neighbourhood so that the Blasco Ibañez Avenue can reach the sea at Malvarossa.

With the completion of the F1 Neighbourhood in the coming years and the seafront Twin Towers in the shape of a V as an emblematic landmark welcoming visitors to the city, things can only get better and better in Valencia ; Europe’s Florida on the Med with average annual daily temperatures of almost 18 degrees Celsius and a mere 2 weeks of rain, yearly.

Therefore whether it is Valencia City Property, Valencia City Property Investment or Valencia F1 Property you are looking for : Valencia Property Hound should be your first port of call.

Article by Dermot Quinn, Valencia Property Hound Ltd