Villa Linares Recreational Park
Location: Vega Alta, PR
Total Size: 3,200 SM
Year: 2016
Status: Un-built Design
Construction Cost: $1,200,000
Client: Municipality of Vega Alta
The Villa Linares Recreational Park is a proposal for the development of a public park in a municipally-owned undeveloped area in Villa Linares, Vega Alta. The site is next to a sports complex that contains a baseball park, a basketball court with bleachers, other surface courts and a running track. As part of the project’s main requirements, the park needed to have high security, good lighting, bathrooms, access to drinking water, accessibility, a defined car perimeter, and parking spaces. The landscaping uses native plants to create not only a visually beautiful place but also an ecosystem for local bird species.
We evaluated multiple public concerns and organized the spatial program around three age groups. The children’s park had the most rigorous design considerations. It requires a closed perimeter with controlled entrances, shaded and small roofed area, trails for tricycles and bicycles, games to encourage fun exercise, and spaces for the parents to watch their children. The senior and adult zones are centered in spaces to stimulate social interaction with board tables to play games, spaces to connect with nature, and designated areas for group exercise like Zumba and yoga. Furthermore, the park design provides access to individual safe exercise facilities, equipment for intense training programs, and measured trails for warming and running up.