Águas Claras Park
ÁGUAS CLARAS – DISTRITO FEDERAL
Nature as a rescue of urban life
The project was presented at the National Public Competition for Architecture and Landscaping Projects for the Central and South Parks of Águas Claras, in the Federal District, promoted by Companhia Imobiliária de Brasília – TERRACAP and organized by the Institute of Architects of Brazil – Department of the Federal District – IAB / DF.
Águas Claras presents an urban landscape marked by high density and concentrated in verticalized plots opposed to urban voids, by the road and subway infrastructures that disrupt the public space and by most displacements by private transport. These characteristics end up affecting environmental quality and are a challenge for social life in the district. The Central and South Parks are an opportunity to promote greater integration in the territory, promoting the movement of pedestrians, proximity, and the use of public space. The project is based in articulating the park’s territory and surroundings based on nature as a rescue of urban life.
Águas Claras is an administrative region of the Federal District and was planned and built in the 90’s. The starting point for the project was the understanding of this territory as a strong integrating element in the territory, promoting the movement of pedestrians, proximity, and the use of public space.
In conjunction with more sustainable mobility strategies and plans, parks can be connectors between the region’s green corridors. The proposal seeks to reverse the aridity and lack of attractive uses in public spaces, proposing the activation of urban life associated with nature – a natural system is implemented that seeks to overcome the obstacles of the existing transport infrastructures, through elements of deceleration and connection between the lots. A continuous park is proposed, linking the Ecological, Central and South parks, structured by uses that are related to their surroundings.
A central axis develops continuously, connecting the uses that connect with the surroundings. Main and secondary roads weave a network of connections between the various functions of the program, whose distribution was aimed at the creation of neighborhood units. Anchor equipment was strategically located, such as sports areas close to the metro structure; library and community center inside the park; contemplation areas and amphitheater near the Ecological Park; space for fairs and events close to the shopping center; nursery and botanical shop in South Park.
Other equipment was distributed considering the analysis of the uses of the surroundings, such as playgrounds, vegetable garden, dog park, gymnastics circuits, among others.
Buildings and structures are inserted in the park by the concept of continuity. Modular constructions are protected by roofs whose design is delimited in conjunction with the landscaping.
The landscape design is proposed based on the premises of sustainability and resilience. In this way, an infrastructure network that enables the optimization of natural resources and functional mitigation is created, observing the management of water resources, waste management, maintenance, and communication. A linear and integrated system for controlling and capturing water is proposed, interconnecting discontinuous areas, and enabling retention for later use or routing for infiltration into the soil or, still, supplying permanent and connected reservoirs by pumping.
