- Area: 7681 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Jaime Navarro
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Lead Architect: Bernardo Quinzaños
Text description provided by the architects. With the aim of revitalizing public life in Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco, a master urban plan was designed for SEDATU that transformed the most representative public spaces of the city, including the "El Campestre" Recreational Park and the Community Development Center located within it. Led by Bernardo Quinzaños, the project focused on improving sports and recreational infrastructure, promoting a comprehensive renewal of the urban environment.
The initial diagnosis revealed that public spaces were in a significant state of neglect and there was a marked lack of social assistance facilities at all levels. The intervention aimed to improve living conditions, reduce the deficit of equipment and public areas, and reactivate the local economy.
The "El Campestre" Recreational Park has become a fundamental space for community interaction and entertainment. Its design incorporates a central pavilion with a structure of crossed arches that not only serves as a sculptural element but is also designed to host social and cultural events in the city, such as the annual "Butifarra Fair," concerts, and exhibitions. This space has transformed into a versatile meeting point, ideal for both informal activities and significant celebrations.
The public space program was conceived to integrate with the iconic sequence of arches and columns of the pavilion, connecting sports areas and offering a habitable refuge under the rainy tropical climate of Tabasco. Its structure, in addition to providing shade, includes a stepped concrete base that serves as seating for spectators of sporting events, offering a comfortable and protected space against the harshness of the weather.
Within the park is the Community Development Center, a cultural and educational space that promotes inclusive development opportunities for the local community. This project was conceived as a habitable sculptural piece, with an architectural program that includes workshops, multipurpose rooms, a library, an auditorium, and an administrative area. The structure consists of eight monumental concrete panels perforated with semicircular arches. These perforations create the necessary void for an indoor garden, which functions as an urban oasis and generates a pleasant microclimate. This central garden acts as the project's core, providing a lively space and allowing for interesting perspectives from inside the building.
The design of the complex seeks to harmoniously integrate with the urban context of the city through the use of pigmented concrete in orange tones, evoking the regional stone present in the balustrade of the main arcade of the historic center.
The construction represented an authentic exchange of knowledge with the local community, merging design technologies with artisanal processes to enrich the constructive memory of the Tabasco landscape. By employing local workers, different construction skills were intertwined, strengthening the connection between the work and its surroundings. This participatory process sowed a new architectural language while fostering a sense of accomplishment, pride, and identity within the community.
The complex formed by the "El Campestre" Recreational Park and the Community Development Center offers the inhabitants of Jalpa de Méndez a space for coexistence, recreation, and development, promoting inclusion and civic participation. This project has become an emblematic symbol of the city and a point of reference for both locals and visitors.
The project was carried out as part of the Urban Improvement Program of SEDATU in Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco.
