7 minute read
Martín
ATTRACTION AND GATEWAY FOR SOCIAL LOCAL LIFE
ICÍAR DE ÁGUEDA
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The aim for this project is to create an arrival, but also beginning node for the green spine proposed in the masterplan. To do so, we will keep in mind the strategies followed in the “serving local life” key point. These will be to connect west-east and to densify, as well as to provide a point of interest to attract people to the node.
Problem description
0 200 400 600m
To start I analyzed the specific qualities and problems in the area by doing a site visit.
The location has a lot of potential due to its centrality as well as for all the public buildings, facilities and commercial areas around (such as cafés, bus station, church, schools…). But both the pedestrian paths and the green structure are very disconnected from the qualities of the context.
The green areas are disconnected one from the other, the paths are interrupted by buildings, parking lots or motorized streets, the square is misscared… This disconnection between the green areas also makes the space go out of human scale and makes it not so approachable. Two huge “green” public spaces are created along the sides of the city hall.
On the other hand, the great qualities of the river are lost due to the terrible noise pollution from the motorway, as well as for the surroundings… all filled with parking lots and concrete.
After taking a look at the qualities and problems of the key project site, it is time to go in for the proposal.
Taking the two main strategies (connecting west-east, and densifying) and the two main problems (lack of paths and green structure connection, and spaces out of scale), I defined two directions to follow in the design of the proposal.
Mixing the connecting E-W strategy and the connecting green and paths problem, I proposed a new path structure, focused on the perpendicular direction to the green spine, to bring people into Göteborgsvägen. This path structure is divided in three categories depending on the speed of the flow and it defines the remaining spaces for the green spaces, as well as being the connection between them.
For the second strategy and problem (densify and lack of human scale), the proposal is to enclose the new green public spaces using new residential blocks. This way, a public garden is created and generates a more approachable space, giving a controlled area to the square and defining it.
With these two combinations and some more small interventions the proposal originated.
The small interventions mainly consist on; two new pedestrian bridges to connect the new residential blocks in the other side, a trees and buildings noise barrier along the way of the motorway, ecological green space in front of the hospital in the other side of the motorway to improve the visual quality, the removal of one of the car lanes in Göteborgsvägen as part of the masterplan proposal, the transformation of Häradsgatan from motorized to pedestrian only, and finally the transformation of some roofs onto green roofs.
Legend
Fast path Connector Slow path Plot green Proposal green New buildings Existing buildings Blue structure
0 100 200 300m
To create the new path structure I firstly identified the surrounding buildings that provide any kind of facilities (administrative, healthcare, education…). After this, I merged every green area in the “out of scale” squares into one. Next step was to connect the different facilities dividing them into 3 speed categorie paths. The brother one is the “fast path”, made to connect facilities with each other and with the green spine in the fastest way. Second category is the “connectors”, these are parallel streets to the green spine that are shortcut to get to the “fast paths’’. Last category is the “slow path”. This path is conceived as a promenade path to enjoy the urban park.
With these paths the green areas are defined and some resting places or ecological places will be made in the borders to link the green with the paths.
Fast path Connector Slow path
ATTRACTION AND GATEWAY FOR SOCIAL LOCAL LIFE | Paths and Green Structure
current situation + main public functions 3 proposed flows between main public functions
reshaping of greenery by flows
path proposal design
0 100 200 300m
To check the results for the new paths proposal I ran two different types of analysis.
The aim for these new paths was to attract more people to this area and to the green spine.
In the angular integration analysis it is proven that the whole area becomes much more central after the introduction of the new non-motorized flows.
On the other hand, in the angular betweenness analysis we can see the resemblance of the different path categories, proving the proposal right.
Finally in both analyses the strategy for West-East connections is accomplished and the green structure is finally connected.
higher centrality
lower centrality
higher betweennes
lower betweenness Angular Integration 500m (before)
Angular Betweenness 2km (before) Angular Integration 500m (after)
Angular Betweenness 2km (after)
ATTRACTION AND GATEWAY FOR SOCIAL LOCAL LIFE | Enclosure and New Dwellings
The aim for the new buildings proposal for the key project site is both to densify and to give enclosure to both of the squares.
The new buildings are mirroring the ones already existing, not going higher than 7 stories for the tallest one. The building typology is defined by a GSI value of around 0,5 and a FSI value of around 1,5.
In order to enclose the squares without blocking the flows, four different blocks are created.
The blocks peprpendicular to the green spine are activated in the ground floor with commercial use in the corners to attract more people. The rest of the total gross floor area is only residential.
These new buildings lack private open space in order to incentivize the use of the proposed new public space.
Legend
Commercial ground floor Proposal green New buildings Existing buildings Blue structure
0 100 200 300m
The total number of dwellings proposed for the area is 430, and the total new GFA (counting also the commercial ground floors) is 33850 m2.
With these proposal blocks the square becomes more approachable and human scale, all together with the new paths for the flows, create an urban park that adapts to the center of Mölndal without forgetting the main master plan key points.
A new gateway, both for the green spine and for the city of Mölndal.
