Central Park

Project Description

Sant Cugat del Vallès has a population of 42,000 inhabitants, it’s located 20 kilometers from Barcelona, in the Vallès Occidental region. In the last 10 years it has seen its population increase from three sectors of rural origin. This park occupies one of these three sectors, the so-called Sant Domènec-Colomer. It is a narrow and long strip that extends from the population’s center to one of the nearby hills and it is crossed longitudinally by a stream.

Its urban planning focuses on two main themes: a central strip which contains the green zone and protects the stream and the road’s adjustment and construction considering the place’s morphology. Hence, the park’s design takes into account the small valley’s topography on which it stands, its agricultural character and the strong social pressure that its future urban immersion entails.

The main road is parallel to the park and is designed according to two different traces: a straight line entailing a clear geometrical order and another curved one which adapts to existing paths. The curvilinear trace is broken down into a stepped section in its western border. It allows disposing a dock – walkway which provides access points into the park. This walk is the most urban side of the project; it becomes a viewpoint over the park and the city. Inside, the stream’s layout is restored and accompanied by a path, which is substantially parallel to it and allows the whole sector to be travelled longitudinally. A system of transverse roads, following the agricultural parcel, completes the connection with the perimeter limits. The park’s vegetation recalls the place’s ecosystems: a deciduous tree line-up along both the stream and the longitudinal path, perennial leaf on the transverse paths, small evergreens on the fields confine, as well as different types of grasses in the fields.