The town of El Hatillo is a place that allowed us to imagine a sensitive relationship between tradition and innovation. In this sense, materials were the variable that established associations with pre-existing buildings and heritage. Due to the location and amplitude of the site, an opportunity appeared to experiment with geometry, redefining the existing flows and activities.
First, due to the radial pavement design, which relates the surrounding buildings and squares, a strategy that accomplished a common ground for the smaller commercial activities of the town and the shopping mall. It has made way to new areas that have become the determined places for traditional ephemerides and sporting activities that occurred uncomfortably in Bolivar Square.
In addition, the concept determined as the "zero elevation" tactic during the design process as the dissolution of the sidewalks to generate a single smooth surface that gives a greater priority to pedestrians, has unexpectedly encouraged the community to organize outdoor activities closing some of the streets to limit the passage of vehicles and promote greater pedestrian flow in the town.
Furthermore, the project sought to generate a clearer connection between the town and the shopping center by using the parking lot infrastructure as a key point to reduce vehicular flow and displace parked cars from the streets. Although, the second phase in front of the parking lot access was left pending, the initiative has promoted greater control over the vehicular flow within the town and encourage tourists to park in the mall.