Manzanares Park
Encyclopedia
Manzanares Park is a large, 480 Ha. park in the south of Madrid
, Spain
. It follows the Manzanares River, backbone of the park, for seven kilometers between the M-30 Nudo Sur ("South Knot") and the town of Getafe
.
The first part (Primer Tramo) of the park was inaugurated on April 29, 2003. The rest of the Park is under construction.
The most significant areas of the finished part are:
Architect
Ricardo Bofill
was completed in 2003.
The geographical location of the park, south of Madrid
, is crucial to the city, which is spreading progressively towards the Meseta and needs open ground to break the urban tissue and to provide citizens with contact with nature.
The ambition of the project was to transform an area containing the capital's sanitation and electricity
supply infrastructures into a major park that will also meet the recreational and sporting needs of the surrounding districts. The previous studies on the treatment of the river that begun as part of Madrid
's sanitation plan were followed by Bofill’s design project.
The park is a natural, building free setting for outdoor sports such as jogging and biking, water related activities at a large rowing canal, and open air cultural activities and events.
The project foresees covering the sewer exits at the northern end of the park and isolating the water purifiers and electricity plant to hide the installations from view and mask possible emanating smells.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It follows the Manzanares River, backbone of the park, for seven kilometers between the M-30 Nudo Sur ("South Knot") and the town of Getafe
Getafe
Getafe is a city in the southern zone of the Madrid metropolitan area, Spain, and one of the most populated and industrialized cities in the municipality. The city is home to one of the oldest Spanish military air bases, as well as the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid...
.
The first part (Primer Tramo) of the park was inaugurated on April 29, 2003. The rest of the Park is under construction.
- The Green Square (Plaza Verde), a wooden amphitheatre structure.
- The Alley of SenseSenseSenses are physiological capacities of organisms that provide inputs for perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception...
s (Paseo de los Sentidos), which goes along the river and is planted with palm trees, oak, cork, olive trees and other mediterranean species. - The Umbráculo.
- The WatchtowerWatchtowerA watchtower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military, and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may...
(Atalaya), a pyramid-like structure with a 13 meter high sculpture by Manolo ValdésManolo ValdésManolo Valdés is a Spanish artist residing in New York, working in paint, sculpture, and mixed media. He introduced to Spain a form of expression that combined political and social obligations with humor and irony.- Biography :...
on top representing the head of a woman looking at the city. - The Pérgola.
- The Sports Area, with several football, basketball and handball fields.
- The Loop, a six meter wide way around the park.
- The Belvedere Park.
Project
The first stage of the project “the Linear Park on the River Manzanares” by Spanish CatalanCatalan
Catalan is an inhabitant of CataloniaCatalan can also refer to:*Catalan people*Catalan language*Països Catalans, territories where Catalan language is spokenPersons with the surname Catalan:*Eugène Charles Catalan, a mathematician...
Architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Ricardo Bofill
Ricardo Bofill
Ricardo Bofill, also Ricard Bofill Leví is a Catalan Spanish postmodernist architect.He studied at the School of Architecture in Geneva, Switzerland...
was completed in 2003.
The geographical location of the park, south of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, is crucial to the city, which is spreading progressively towards the Meseta and needs open ground to break the urban tissue and to provide citizens with contact with nature.
The ambition of the project was to transform an area containing the capital's sanitation and electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
supply infrastructures into a major park that will also meet the recreational and sporting needs of the surrounding districts. The previous studies on the treatment of the river that begun as part of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
's sanitation plan were followed by Bofill’s design project.
The park is a natural, building free setting for outdoor sports such as jogging and biking, water related activities at a large rowing canal, and open air cultural activities and events.
The project foresees covering the sewer exits at the northern end of the park and isolating the water purifiers and electricity plant to hide the installations from view and mask possible emanating smells.