Sensory Garden: Sensescape

University of Costa Rica, School of Architecture, San José

Idea projektu

Puntarenas faces a critical scenario of urban vulnerability due to uncontrolled growth, inadequate environmental management, and projected sea-level rise by 2100. As a response, the project proposes a new master plan that reimagines the city by expanding over the water, ensuring its permanence within the coastal environment while reclaiming its port identity. Within this urban vision, public space becomes the backbone of the intervention: a network of plazas, green corridors, and gathering spaces that structure social life over the water and foster a new relationship between the community, nature, and the sea.

Popis projektu

The urban design proposal organizes the new floating city through a system of interconnected public spaces that prioritize human encounter and ecological integration. Plazas of varying scales serve as social nodes, articulating movement, rest, and community activities throughout the master plan. Native coastal vegetation is woven into these spaces, creating green corridors that provide shade, biodiversity, and a sensory connection to the natural environment of Puntarenas. The design encourages spontaneous social interaction and cultural exchange between locals and visitors, democratizing access to the waterfront and strengthening the collective identity of the city.

Technické informace

The proposal intervenes along the coastal edge of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, extending the urban fabric over the water through a new master plan. The public space network integrates plazas, pedestrian paths, and cycling routes connected by green corridors with native coastal vegetation. Sustainability strategies include permeable surfaces, water management systems, and bioclimatic design to respond to the tropical coastal climate. The intervention addresses the threat of sea-level rise projected for 2100 through an adaptive urban structure designed to coexist with the water rather than resist it.

Dokumentace

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