Fernando Tabuenca and Jesús Leache. Palimpsestic Architecture

The essay aims at providing an exploration of the concept of "palimpsest", a recurring keyword in the investigations about architectural interventions in historical contexts, that is here observed in the light of the lessons learned from the experience of Fernando Tabuenca and Jesús Leache. The text draws on the critical analysis of the main works carried out within such field by these Pamplona based architects, who have developed a specific design attitude towards the interplay between conservation and transformation. This exploration offers a compelling interpretation of the operative principle, exemplifying and disseminating the development of a special approach to the complexity of interventions in historical contexts, one that draws on the possibility to enable space and time to coalesce in the coexistence of the different layers of the architectural narrative.