PUBLIC SPACE
Plaza Las Delicias
Salinas, Puerto Rico
Located in the southern city of Salinas, Puerto Rico, this 1.2 acre public spaceproject was a government sponsored initiative for the redevelopment andrehabilitation of several selected urban centers through the island.The design criteria were based on the following premises:A comprehensive reconstruction of the central space is redefined with the insertionof specific programmatic elements such as new urban furniture located at theperimeter defining the shaded corridors, two fountains and five distinctive coneshaped stainless steel sculptures filled with limestone and crushed glass as ametaphor symbolizing the salt dunes which give the city its name. Special attentionhas been given to create a place for the community where cultural and traditionalevents take place. The main central space is defined by the placement of floorlighting evoking the central rotunda which existed in the plaza at the turn of thecentury.The project has served to transform deteriorated urban centers and played a keyrole in its rehabilitation.
Plaza Luis Muñoz Rivera
Humacao, Puerto Rico
This project is part of a government sponsored initiative for the redevelopment of selected urban centers throughout the island. The project consists of the rehabilitation of the main public square in the city of Humacao, in the southeastern region of Puerto Rico.
The project responds to the following urban design goals:
1. The restructuring of the 1.8 acre public space as a seed for urban growth and detonator for the rehabilitation of an urban center.
2. To provide a community space for cultural activities and promote a better quality of life.
3. To consolidate two separate existing public spaces, four garden squares and the entry way to the church into a single grand space.
The strategy is to establish a respectful dialogue between the old traditional architecture of the square and contemporary vocabulary of the new intervention. The existing atrium defines the main entrance to the church, and serves as a link to the existing garden area through the use of new luminaries or spire lights strategically positioned in rhythmical contrast with the traditional lighting. The project completed in 2004 serves as a testament to the power of public space acting as catalyst for positive change and transformation of our urban environment.