CENTRAL PARK IN BENICASSIM – ESTUDIO FERNÁNDEZ-VIVANCOS

Estudio Fernández-Vivancos, PRODEIN, Gómez-Ferrer arquitectos 

A town in the landscape

Benicàssim, located between the natural spaces of the coastline and the Palm Desert (desierto de las Palmas), can be seen as a town in the landscape. These are the spaces with the greatest environmental value in Benicàssim, but they are in danger of being permanently disconnected due to the different uses being put to the strip of land between them. A network of connections between these spaces will be brought about by the creation of transverse ecological corridors joined by ” functional connectors” to guarantee that they function as a connected unit, a role which will be performed by the space vacated by the railway line.

A landscape in the town

The proposal is for a formative process, aimed at creating a linear park which will form the basis for a future Green Urban Infrastructure, with a functional system in the town that is in line with that described for the region.

Specific points in the town are connected to each other by green corridors. These treelined paths form a network of pedestrian routes enabling us to walk freely around the park. At a tangent to the green corridors, four open spaces are devoted to activities which bring together groups of people.

Inverse relief

The variation on the transverse slope all the way along the area of the intervention allows us to propose the reorganization of the existing topography by means of an inverse relief maintaining the longitudinal slope next to the compact town and the transverse slopes in the four areas where there is continuity between the town and the park. Between these areas, from the lowest points of the cross section, the existing transverse slope is inverted, allowing us to create two different levels of use.

the easy access, lighting and natural ventilation of the higher area lead us to see the car park as a lower connecting street, and to use it more flexibly.