In 2007 MVRDV worked with the Spanish office GRAS to enter a competition for a sustainable urban extension of the city of Logroño. Logroño is a medium size city of approximately 130.000 inhabitants, in the wine region of La Rioja in the north of Spain. 

The program consists of approximately 3.000 units of social housing and its complementary program: schools, social buildings, and sports facilities. The goal was to create a sustainable development. By producing all the energy needed on the 56 hectare site, the new neighborhood achieves a CO2 neutral footprint. The space made available by building compactly becomes a magnificent eco-park, a mix of landscape and energy production.

Only 10% of the site is occupied by buildings. This minimizes the impact on the landscape and simultaneously minimizes building costs. Like a snake, the linear urban development meanders through the landscape both horizontally and vertically. By making use of the height differences, every apartment takes maximum advantage of the views. The roofs of the lower situated slabs are accessible and offer possibilities to create a magnificent public space overlooking the landscape of La Rioja; a Mirador!