Hotel Las Arenas Balneario Resort: del uso popular al reuso exclusivo

Las Arenas beach resort in Valencia: from the popular use to the exclusive re-use Las Arenas beach resort in the Malvarrosa beach was for many years a popular gathering spot during the summer season for the inhabitants of the city of Valencia. The bathing complex had a spa built in 1888, swimming pools, a restaurant and a cinema. It was constituted by two identical buildings, facing each other, with a row of marble columns surrounding the whole perimeter according to the classical architectural style. The beach resort was severely affected during the Spanish Civil War and one of the two buildings was completely destroyed. In the early 2000s, the bathing complex was fully restored and the destroyed pavilion was rebuilt as a perfect replica of the original one. In addition, a luxury four-storey hotel was built in the area between the two colonnaded buildings and the pool. This paper describes the lido renovation project highlighting how the wise use of materials and construction techniques.