Rubén Linares, SEDATU / Pamela Tejeda, VIRENS

OBJETIVO

The Shade Garden seeks to improve the microclimate of this recreational public space, promote a local cultural and environmental identity, and mitigate vulnerability to disasters. One of the main objectives was to provide a high-quality open public space intervention that could bring about transformation and improvement to the area while promoting a safe environment. The project houses: 1) a soccer field, 2) a sports covered open space that includes a court, bleachers, restrooms, and a cistern for rainwater storage, 3) an open space for callisthenics, 4) a children's playground, 5) a skatepark guarded by the sun by the shadow the building casts on it during the day, 6) a running track around the lot, and lastly, 7) a parking lot (acting as a water infiltration zone) for 25 car occupancy for the regional soccer matches. The covered space fulfills multiple functions, not only as an urban amenity but also by adapting and becoming a logistical infrastructure for emergency coordination during disasters. The Shade Garden’s landscape includes native and xerophytic vegetation, which also contribute to shelter from the sun during the day, mitigating heat island effect and increasing comfort of resting spaces, while reinforcing the local landscape identity. The project creates a much-needed vegetated area in a desert climate context without taxing the local water supply. Furthermore, it aids in flood control. The users to be served by the project are approximately 430 in the indoor space and 480 users in outdoor areas and courts at the same time.

CONTEXTO

The Shade Garden is a very low budget project that was commissioned and built as part of the Urban Improvement Program from SEDATU (Secretariat of Agrarian, Land, and Urban Development) in collaboration with the Facultad de Arquitectura at UNAM. This project is in Las Palmas neighborhood in Los Cabos, Baja California in a marginalized area north of the city. The state of Baja California Sur represents the most arid in the country, with a very dry warm climate with a summer rainfall regime. It is also the state with the highest number of direct impacts from hurricanes and tropical storms. The city of Los Cabos is the most exposed to such impacts leading to severe river and coastal flooding, as well as droughts that risk water availability. On the other hand, the municipality has a low rate of green area per inhabitant (4 m2/inhabitant) and presents a significant deficit of recreational public space, while the existing ones are often in bad shape. There are barely any sidewalks or paved streets. The Shade Garden project seeks to offer an open habitable space for public use, in contact with the natural landscape of the region, which will contribute to a better response to disasters and require less maintenance. An Elementary School is located 130 meters to the northeast benefitting the most from the public recreational space. Several school facilities in the area are used as shelters in case of disaster, therefore, this project represents support infrastructure in case of emergencies.