PICO estudio transforms urban venezuela with 5 spaces for peace- part 2

PICO estudio transforms urban venezuela with 5 spaces for peace- part 2
all images courtesy of pico estudio

continuing the 5 public spaces from part 1 of this article we continue to the small community of capitan chico on the shores of maracaibo in northwestern venezuela.

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capitan chico

hsf hábitat sin fronteras and local collective ‘independiente’ undertook a mangrove forest already being used as a walkway and eco-school to strengthen these uses as well as develop the site for long-lasting stability. a large folded canopy on a quay is built on stilts in the same way the indigenous palatifo houses are constructed over water. fibrous mangrove strands are interwoven to make the actual canopy supported on the wooden substructure. the covered area can now be used for a variety of functions, formal and informal. to one side, a garden is laid out using scavenged cinder blocks while the other contains a sand court for traditional games and a playground. the nearby structures are made of eco-friendly bricks consisting of 50% concrete and 50% recycled plastic material.

the canopy structure is surrounded by small gardens and spaces for community activities

promenade

bricks made up of 50% concrete and 50% recycled plastic

mangrove strands make up the canopy

(left) opened walls form shade canopies
(right) before and after

at night

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pinto salinas

the last project in the workshop takes us to pinto salinas where oficina lúdica and pkmn pacmanarchitectures teamed up with PICO estudio to transform an abandoned structure and improvised dump site into a town square. the community of pinto salinas is small but heavily marked by the drug scene- a condition which led the design team to create a central space that would encourage families to have more of a public presence and in turn help combat the darker scenes that would otherwise fill the streets. a series of steel platforms creates a stepped topography that responds the site’s gradual slope. above, a steel canopy with metal mesh helps to shade the benches and steps and creates a point from which to hang lights that keep the lot well lit at night. the building in turn is covered with colorful hexagonal tiles and painted bright orange, making it inviting for children. 

floor board detail

steel roof connection detail

illuminated at night

before and after

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project info:

project name: espacios de paz – venezuela
date: july – august 2014
organizers: comisión presidencial del movimiento por la paz y la vida
managing architects: pico estudio/ venezuela
collaborating architectural collectives: abono / venezuela; al borde / ecuador; axp arquitectura expandida / colombia; hsf hábitat sin fronteras / méxico; independiente / venezuela – españa, oficina lúdica / venezuela; pgrc plataforma gestión residuos de ciudad / venezuela; pico proyecto de interés comunal/ venezuela; pkmn pacmanarchitectures / españa; txp todo por la praxis / españa; 439 estudio arquiurbano / venezuela
communities: petare, la y 5 de julio / caracas, dtto. capital; pinto salinas, las 3 marías / caracas, dtto. capital; la florida, los mangos / valencia, edo. carabobo; capitán chico, santa rosa de agua / maracaibo, edo. zulia; el chama, la carabobo /mérida, edo. mérida
artistic production: comando creativo, pico estudio
logistics: c-4 colectivo
photo and video: beto 369, catia tv, fijú fuerza integradora de la juventud
collaborating institutions: construpatria, fundación musarq, gran misión saber y trabajo, inparques, frente francisco de miranda, movimiento por la paz y la vida, pdvsa la estancia