HOW TO CONSOLIDATE AN ESTUARY BETWEEN WILD AND CULTURAL NATURE?

HOW TO CONSOLIDATE AN ESTUARY BETWEEN WILD AND CULTURAL NATURE? Nalón (ES) Tide Builds - Europan 17 winner

Tide Builds – A New Life for the Nalón Estuary (ES), Europan 17 Winner
By Justo Diaz and Guillermo Pozzo architects (ES)
Actors: Town of Nalón and the Regional Ministry of Rural Affairs and Territorial Cohesion of the Principality of Asturias.

How can a former coal port become a resilient, living estuary?
In Tide Builds, the winning team reimagines Nalón’s post-industrial waterfront as an intertidal landscape — blending wild nature with cultural memory. Rather than erase the past, they propose a future rooted in both heritage and ecology.
Nature + Hybrid Actions:
– Clean-up & restore native ecosystems
– Remove invasive species & reconnect habitats
– Introduce living coastal protections like berms, tidal pools, wetlands, and permeable soils
The goal? A regenerative coastline that adapts to tides, supports biodiversity, and offers new uses for the community — from recreation to ecotourism, gastronomy to green mobility.
It’s a 30-year vision of a resilient estuary — where nature and people thrive, not compete.