The design of the new Pradolongo Park in Madrid, which features platforms of varying heights and multiple entrances and exits, is an excellent example of modern architecture in public spaces.

Work to expand the park has gained an extra 25,000 m2 of old waste land. The reform, which was funded by a 4.5 million euro grant from the local government of Madrid, has included the planting of 23 different species of tree (700 trees in total) and 19,350 shrubs. The architectural project, led by the architect, José Luis Esteban Penelas, includes the use of eye-catching gabions that provide flexibility and dynamism to the landscape of this urban space.

Pradolongo Park, located in the District of Usera, Madrid, has been given a new look thanks to the complete remodeling of an area which was filled with mountains of trash reaching heights of up to10 meters. The remodeling has also rid the area of over half a kilometer of high-tension electrical cables and a further 800 meters have now been moved underground. Today, the park is a truly green area designed to accommodate leisure and sporting activities, and provide scenic walks for thousands of visitors to the Southern part of Madrid. It has also become an area that brings the district together and improves access to the city.

Created in 1979 and expanded in 2007, Pradolongo Park is the fourth largest green space in Madrid, beaten only by the Casa de Campo, Retiro and West Parks. The growth of the park has involved the radical transformation of a surrounding area of 51,195 m2 of which, thanks to intelligent and well-balanced distribution, 24,485 m2 is green space and 20,681 m2 is public housing.

The result of the work is a park which has opened up to its surroundings through multiple access points. The varying levels of the park contribute to a sense of dynamism and are connected to each other via a series of ramps, ensuring access for all.

The expansion of the park is the brainchild of the architect José Luis Esteban Penelas’s architectural Studio. The design is made up of a series of elements that add to the sense of originality within this green space. These elements include a central pavilion and a circular pathway surrounded by a circular iron structure with a trellis roof.

The stone features
Stone was one of the predominant elements in the design of this project. It has been used to construct platforms which help to create a flowing, dynamic space, similar to parks recently constructed in other modern cities around the world.

This project uses stone because of its versatility. It was used to create both convex and concave forms, as well as curved forms, slopes and arches. Crushed limestone from La Rioja was used due to its warm tones which contrast with the vegetation while, at the same time, providing a sense of harmony within the park. The stone also helps soften the geometry of the park, given that a significant portion of the surface area had to be excavated in order to remove waste and avoid future problems.

Greenery
The plant species that decorate the park were chosen due to their ability to thrive in Madrid’s climate. These include the white poplar, the almond tree, the black poplar and the cypress tree. Plants have been placed within the park in accordance with strict water conservation criterion, with natural fields, tinted gravel and the absence of lawns. The gardens are a living organism, which can adapt and change depending on how they are used by visitors. In this way the vegetation grows up or grows down, contracts and expands. According to the philosophy behind this architectural project, these green spaces represent the relationship between that which cannot be changed through time (the man-made elements) and that which is constantly changing (the vegetation).

On the other hand, the wave-like placement of the iron structures evokes the movement of the city, and provides hints of color within the otherwise neutral environment.

The work has been carried out as a kind of integral recuperation of an old contaminated area that had been in decline and provides a barrier to the urban traffic in the surrounding streets. In the western part of the plot, there is an 8-metre high natural ridge, the only area that wasn’t covered in trash and that has remained the same. This ridge now serves as a look-out point from which to observe the southern area of Madrid.

One of this project’s biggest achievements was to connect the diverse environments, enabling the construction of pedestrian walkways and connections between the 12 de Octubre Hospital, Avenida de los Poblados, the old Pradolongo Park, the new housing and near-by schools. As a result, the park also serves to expand and connect the surrounding environment.

The geotechnical characteristics of the land, its composition and the construction of platforms with flexible and easy to construct gabion walls, enable complete drainage of the area. This facilitates the absorption of any clay that may later settle into the gabion walls. The platforms have an average height of one meter and are connected to each other with ramps. This enables those with reduced mobility to gain access to all areas of the park, including the look-out point.

Sport and leisure
The main function of the Pradolongo Park is to provide a place for sport and physical exercise. The primary focus of the park is its bicycle circuit which runs through the middle in a kind of circular valley. The track goes up and down along the little humps surrounded by trees. The circuit is wide and is distinguished by its intermittent stripe arrow painted in the ground. It is one of the few cycle paths of its kind in Madrid and is highly recommended for anyone who wants to avoid traffic along the Anillo Verde.

Football and basketball courts enclose the park on both of its right and left extremes, adding to those located at the Orcasitas, Paseo del Poblado, and the main road through Pradolongo.

The children’s’ play area is enormous and protected by a low fence. Within this area, there are various climbing frames and roundabouts, providing an excellent play area within the park.