Adecuación de espacios urbanos en Santander
0978-MOM-ES-2014
Architect: Moreu Mestre
Status: Competition (2014)
Clasification: 1 prize
Visualizer: Studio
Scale: Large
Types: Intervention, Public space, Refurbishment, Square

The first improvement action is to reduce the slope by lengthening the paths, thereby enhancing the use of the space by forcing cross it through it. We take the removing of the parking spots and the dumpsters into account boosting the continuity and the visibility of the space. Relocating the dumpsters in a close area within the same street we can widen the sidewalk avoiding narrow sections of the street that get deteriorate easily.

We go for the preservation of the characteristic of the place, ensuring the viability and the maintenance of the intervention. The use of systems from the place like stone masonry walls and the planting of native trees as the materials for the project connects the proposal with the local landscape and with the singular elements of the surroundings as the San José School.

The existing pavements over the streets and over the adjacent public spaces are strengthened to ensure the continuity in the area, prevailing the stone pavements over other kind of tiles. When linked to a seating area, the stone pavements get textured and resized noting a change in the use and slowing the movements. In the central area, the texture change into a compact sand pavement avoiding muddy areas and becoming a playful area with slate pavements and children playground.

We take advantage of slope to create playful situations and we create green slopes to incorporate abrupt changes on levels and encouraging the space fluency. Those slopes will be covered by herbaceous and grasses with low maintenance (trifolium, lolium peremne…) and with punctual planting of local and deciduous trees.

The rest of discontinuities are solved by linear benches made of stone masonry and related with the walls on the surroundings as is evidenced on the walls of the San José School. These areas are also connected to the deciduous trees to create shadow on summer and sun on winter.

Team: Ignacio Moreu Fernández, María Mestre García | Post date: 01/10/2014 | Views: 1.697