sculptural arches of community development center by CCA wind through mexico park

CCA | Bernardo Quinzaños revitalizes public life with el campestre

CCA | Bernardo Quinzaños El Campestre Recreational Park & Community Development Center revitalizes public life in Jalpa de Méndez, Mexico. Developed as part of SEDATU’s Urban Improvement Program, the project introduces a sculptural pavilion for cultural events and a multi-functional center for learning and social engagement, bringing together a program of workshops, multipurpose rooms, a library, and auditorium, and administrative areas. 

Initial assessments revealed that public spaces were in a significant state of neglect, and there was a pronounced lack of social assistance facilities at all levels in the area. The intervention aimed to enhance living conditions, reduce the deficit of equipment and public spaces, and stimulate the local economy. Part of this, the El Campestre Recreational Park has become a vital space for community interaction and entertainment, with a crossed-arch structure that hosts several of the city’s concerts and exhibitions, and the annual Feria de la Butifarra.

all images by Jaime Navarro

a multifunctional gathering point for the community

This versatile space has become a key gathering point, ideal for both informal activities and major celebrations. Taking this into account, the public space program was designed to integrate with the pavilion’s iconic sequence of arches and columns, connecting various sports areas and providing a habitable refuge in Tabasco’s tropical, rainy climate. While offering shade, the stepped concrete base functions as seating for spectators of sporting events.

Located within the park, the Community Development Center is a cultural and educational hub that promotes inclusive development opportunities for the local community. The structure consists of eight monumental concrete panels perforated with semicircular arches that create the necessary void for an interior garden, which acts as an urban oasis and generates a pleasant microclimate. Meanwhile, the central garden serves as the heart of the project, providing a lively gathering space and offering captivating views from within the building. With this overall design, Mexican practice CCA | Bernardo Quinzaños seeks to integrate the structure with the city’s urban context through the use of pigmented concrete in orange tones, evoking the regional cantera stone found in the balustrades of the main arcade in the historic center.

CCA | Bernardo Quinzaños completes El Campestre Recreational Park & Community Development Center

The construction process facilitated an authentic exchange of knowledge with the local community, blending modern design technologies with artisanal processes to enrich the constructive memory of Tabasco’s landscape. By employing local workers, diverse construction techniques were interwoven, strengthening the project’s connection to its surroundings. This participatory process gave rise to a new architectural language while fostering a sense of accomplishment, pride, and identity within the community. 

developed as part of SEDATU’s Urban Improvement Program

the project introduces a pavilion for cultural events and a multi-functional center for learning and social engagement

the central pavilion is a sculptural presence and a functional venue

orange pigmented concrete evokes the regional cantera stone found in the main arcade in the historic center

a crossed-arch structure

the program inlcudes workshops, multipurpose rooms, a library, and auditorium, and administrative areas

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project info:

name: Complex El Campestre Recreational Park & Community Development Center
architect: CCA | Bernardo Quinzaños | @cca.mx

location: Jalpa de Méndez, Mexico

lead architect: Bernardo Quinzaños

design team: Andrés Suárez, André Torres, Miguel Izaguirre, Javier Castillo, Carlos Cruz, Gabriela Horta, Florencio de Diego, Lorenza Hernández, Mara Calderón de la Barca, Norma Mendoza, Jair Rodríguez, Santiago Vélez, Begoña Manzano, Fernanda Ventura, Victor Zúñiga

client: SEDATU, Municipio de Jalpa de Méndez

builder: CLAVE: Luis Trinidad, Eber Castellanos Ramos, Erick Álvarez Aguilar, Tirso Cuesta Guillen. TRASGO: José Fernando Orozco González, Gerardo González Gutiérrez, Eber Castellanos Ramos

photographer: Jaime Navarro

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom