In January, more than 10,000 citizens in Chile voted to select the first, second, and third places of the Paseo del Mar ideas competition in Valparaíso, a new public space at the Barón Pier that will transform the coastal city's waterfront. "This area was the engine of the country's railway industry during a significant part of the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, however, these grounds lack the vitality of yesteryear and have been abandoned over time," the competition guidelines state.
"In the 21st century, the residents of Valparaíso want this area to reclaim its place in the port's history and in their lives, but transformed into a major public space," they add.
Initially, the jury—composed of National Urbanism Award winner Sergio Baeriswyl, National Architecture Award winner Luis Izquierdo, urban planner Marcelo Ruiz, and representatives of the regional government and local community—selected three finalist ideas from 72 proposals. These were then submitted to a public vote at the Simón Bolívar warehouse on Barón Pier and online.
We invite our readers to share their thoughts on the competition results in the comments section below. Read on to learn more about the winning proposal and the other alternatives, described in the words of their designers.
First Place: “Parque Barón” / Taller Ciudad Puerto Team from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the Universidad de Chile
5,450 votes (48% of the total).
There is a clear need to introduce new programming and facilities to the area, as well as rehabilitate its heritage buildings, such as the Simón Bolívar warehouse. The ultimate goal is to create a proper waterfront promenade that puts an end to the abandonment and neglect currently characterising Barón.
The proposal consists of two phases: the first involves a contextual intervention of the warehouse to be developed by 2021, while Phase 2 outlines the introduction of new maritime programming.
Phase 1: Barón Contextual Intervention (2021): The proposal is based on a network of walkable paths within the project, organized around structural axes that define the park's layout. (Roadways, Park, Paseo del Mar, Warehouse)
Phase 2: Maritime Projection (2031): The project's marine works are essential to its development and planning. Restoring access to the waterfront necessitates designing a functional maritime urban system and considering a potential conversion of the area into a port (Passenger Terminal, Beach, Marina).
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Second Place: “Encuentro de Ramblas” / Daniela Jarpa
4,138 votes (36.5% of the total).
The design proposes a central plaza—a void—that coordinates the various pathways within its centripetal space, providing access to both existing and proposed buildings on the site.
Third Place: “Paseo del Mar Parque Ferroviario Barón” / Paula Yáñez Espinosa
1,756 votes (15.5% of the total).
The Barón area embodies aspirations related not only to its potential public use and community value, but also to the need to integrate aspects of intangible local heritage, such as railway history, the community's relationship with the sea, and local port culture.
Find more information on the competition website here.
This article was written by Fabian Dejtiar. The translation is powered by AI.
