Ausol joins other large firms in the project led by former basketball players Berni Rodríguez and José Manuel Calderón and which will be built in Churriana.
The Oasis will be the largest inclusive sports center in Europe, where people with cognitive functional disabilities from across the province and their families will have a space adapted to their needs to practice sports. And in this initiative that is as supportive as it is innovative, Autopista del Sol (Ausol) will have a prominent role, both as a sponsor in the construction phase and as an organizer and facilitator of activities and events related to road safety.
The new center will be built on a 20,000 square meter plot, located in the Churriana neighborhood, in the capital, and is led by sportsmen Berni Rodríguez and José Manuel Calderón. The project was presented on April 4, 2024 in an event hosted by both former basketball players and with the presence of the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre; the president of the Unicaja Foundation, José Manuel Domínguez, the deputy territorial director for Andalusia and Extremadura of Endesa, José Luis Estepa, and the CEO of Ausol, Juan Marchini, among others.
This initiative is an example of public and private collaboration. The Malaga City Council has donated the land and the Unicaja Foundation, together with the other sponsors, will pay for the construction and its start-up. These, which also include the University of Malaga (UMA) and the Mapfre Foundation, will also participate with various initiatives that will be developed in El Oasis.
The project includes a main building surrounded by basketball courts; a soccer field and a sand track for playing soccer or beach handball. In the medium term, adding a swimming pool is also contemplated. Work is expected to begin after summer 2024 and a modular construction design will be used streamlining the entire process. Therefore, it is expected that the center will open its doors approximately a year later, in September 2025.
Ausol in The Oasis
“Autopista del Sol, in addition to being safe, is sustainable, and we believe that it is important to convey this message,” says Juan Marchini, CEO of Ausol, in relation to the contribution of the AP-7 highway concessionaire to the project. “The Oasis is designed as a large open and green space, with sustainability and respect for the environment as its flag. It is a center open to testing and the implementation of elements and infrastructure aligned with sustainability.”
From this vision, infrastructure will be implemented to enhance energy efficiency, such as sports courts built with the material resulting from the recycling of discarded tires along the AP-7, collected by maintenance crews.
In addition, Ausol will promote one of the social skills stations that will be installed in El Oasis focused on education. “Road safety is at the center of Autopista del Sol’s activity, so we will organize training days on this subject with the academy’s students and their families.”
At the same time, a stand will be incorporated into the social skills area, Ausol’s permanent mobility safety program, where boys and girls who practice Superbasket will learn to move, both from the perspective of the pedestrian and from their status as users of a vehicle (including personal mobility ones). “We want to contribute to raising awareness among new generations about the importance of road safety, and this is not only with cars but with bicycles and electric scooters.”