The White Whale. Offshore Architecture in the Almerian Camp.

Abstract

The concept offshore has two meanings; the first on means literally in the sea far away from or at a distance from the coast; and the second one refers to what is made, situated, or registered abroad; especially in order to obtain benefits of lower taxes and costs, or from a less strict regulation. It is hard to notice offshore architectures, either because they remain conveniently hidden or because their existence has been assimilated too naturally. El Ejido in Almería, Spain, is a place blessed with 3000 hours of sunshine a year. This motivates that both, agriculture and tourism choose to settle in it. Campo de Dalías, one of the world's most important intensive agriculture sites, shines like a vast sea of ​​plastic. Tourism and delocalized food production coexist without any contact in this former agricultural colony. The sunshine hours, the immigrant workers and the logistics infrastructure have turned Almería into a participant of the global network. Mobile and seasonal, this highly technological urbanism is extremely complex and very sensitive to fluctuations in world order. These enclaves are areas that anticipate a new form of transnational network of displaced urban spaces.