A Santa Cruz supermarket that stands on the site of one of the city’s most iconic buildings has been nominated for a national architecture award.
The renovations carried out over 18 months up to November 2024 to convert an old tobacco factory (and, later, cinema) near the busy Plaza de la Paz into a big Aldi supermarket have been singled out for praise by a committee tasked with whittling down entries for the prestigious awards, which will be announced in Madrid in July.
Despite figuring on the Tenerife capital’s heritage list, the iconic building had lain empty for almost half a century and concerns had grown that its increasingly derelict state might see it demolished.
However, the supermarket chain identified it as a strategic location for its first shop in Sanat Cruz and tasked a well-known team of architects with the conversion, albeit insisting that the hallmark features of the historic building – including its front, structural elements and interior patio – had to be retained.
In addition to the Aldi conversion, two other works of architecture in Tenerife have been submitted for the national awards: the Aquatics Centre in Puerto de la Cruz and a house design in Jardina, near La Laguna, called the “Hidden Home” which “allows the owners to see but not be seen”, according to the architects.
