The model of the “ATLANTIS” project will be on display in the Centro Centro building in Madrid as part of the “Timeless Architecture” exhibition, which can be visited between 4 June and 3 October 2021.
“ATLANTIS” was commissioned in 1986 by Hans Jürgen and Helga Müller to Léon Krier, the first winner of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize (2003). The aim of the project was to become a meeting place and think-tank for people committed to the preservation of European culture. The chosen location was Tenerife. Léon Krier developed an exemplary model of a small town in the hills.
The design of “ATLANTIS” makes use of the natural topography of the site and the views through an ingenious system of parcelling, with great variety in the shape and size of the plots and the buildings, that follow the alignments of the streets. With familiar archetypal forms, built on a human scale and with natural materials, the buildings, shape the neighbourhoods, streets and squares with their facades, creating a rich, flowing and attractive public space. This is the key factor that allows the relationships and humanistic values to flourish, making the individual a member of a community and enabling the goals of the clients.
Unfortunately, the (Atlantis) project never received the necessary financial support for its construction. However, from 1993 onwards, Helga and Hans-Jürgen Müller, together with more than 80 artists from all over the world, realised “Parque Cultural MARIPOSA” / “Kulturpark – MARIPOSA” on the same site and for the same purpose: A “Culture Think Tank” and meeting place.
