PORTANORTE

Leisure and recreation park

Description
The PortaNorte project is located on the periphery of the Bragança urban grid, in an area of relatively rural characteristics that perfectly match the establishment of this recreation and leisure park. Nature, tradition, education, leisure and sports are the themes that are developed and implemented in the various spaces of the park, linked by networks of thematic footpaths. Throughout the complex, the motif of nature is developed in an architectural proposal that is intrinsically connected to the morphology of the terrain.

For this reason, we opted to edify nearly exclusively on the area of the Planetarium and Central Square, giving it a natural and even typically regional image. We created a dynamic, rolling surface, which follows the accentuated slopes of the terrain, supporting the plantation of various regional species and showcasing the features of the north of Portugal. The goals set for this park were related to the desire to create a space with an identity that matches the wealth of this region of Portugal, a mirror for the most important

patrimonial resources of the Alto Douro and the “Cold Lands” of Trás‑os‑Montes, a stage in which to display tradition, food, ethnographic elements, patrimonial resources, the border character of the land, among others—in other words, a park that took into account the socio-demographic fabric of the region. The guiding premise of this park was the creation of a multifunctional space, eminently natural, organic and thematic. A1V2’s goal was to preserve the original features of the landscape, harmoniously integrating and articulating the new spaces and proposed buildings into it.