Alberto Simões Park
The Alberto Simões Park project, in São Jose dos Campos (Brazil), posed an architectural challenge as well as a landscape one.
The rough topography of the area and the presence of significant woodland, mainly constituted by large pine trees, along with the requirement of keeping an old country home located on the highest point of the plot conditioned the development of the project.
The proposal was definitively influenced by the first two conditions. The decision was to turn it into a park destined for the practice of adventure sports, making the most of those drops, the vegetation and the fantastic views over the city and the Paraiba River.
The idea put forward for the occupation was that of a circuit that links the different uses and areas at different levels. The building elements act as a mouldable mass that adapts to the terrain, the existing landscape and the different programmes.
The park includes a zip-line, tree adventures, climbing, skating and BMX facilities, activities which are connected through these track and walkway circuits. The historical house was to shelter a cultural centre.
The park is connected to the city through two entrances. The project, ultimately, explores lineal elements as space unifying elements, which bring together programmes, sometimes embodied by pathways and playgrounds, some others by structures or rooftops.
