Rebolo Eco-Park

Turning a neglected canal into ecological and civic infrastructure.

Location. Barranquilla, Colombia

Year. 2013

Program. Linear park, Reconnect Your Space international competition (Interface)

Area. 2 km

Mission. Competition, student project

Status. Competition, winner

Team. Jesús Pertuz

Rebolo Eco-Park is the winning entry of the international Reconnect Your Space competition, run by Interface in 2013 on the theme of biophilia. Jesús Pertuz designed it during his master's at ENSA Paris-Val de Seine. The jury, made up of Robert D. Fox (COOKFOX Architects, New York), Paul McGillick (Indesign, Sydney) and Richard Weston (Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff), chose it from six finalists, out of more than 220 entries.

Rebolo is a low-income neighbourhood of Barranquilla, crossed by a neglected stormwater canal. The project turns it into a 2 km linear park: a continuous corridor that manages floods, restores biodiversity and reconnects the city with the river.

Along both banks come walking and cycling paths, shaded areas, play spaces, community gardens, herb gardens, fruit trees, a meadow and filtering landscapes. New ecological social housing is woven in. The means are low-tech and the materials local.

The park was later built by the city to a different design. The proposal remains a reference for an inclusive, ecological city. It already sets out the principles Maloca Lab pursues: start from the site, water and climate, and build with what is already there.

Press: I+S Design, May 2013; Baulinks, 2013.