2015 : visualisations for some designs at school in Vila Real, Portugal.
Style: Photoshop edits over pictures - collage *
work context:
Vila Real (2015) is code-name to my return to Landscape Architecture (LA) School after a few years break. This University and this city was not where I did my bachelor studies in LA.
I went there for two reasons:
a) finish my master studies in LA.
b) do exchange and internship in the field abroad.
Fun fact, I did go abroad and I never returned to Vila Real.
Bellow are some of the visuals I created for several design projects during this six months period.
* None is actually 3D render, these edits are rather photography and Photoshop - Collage.
above: Old Train Station and the old factory brownfield, right next to the abandoned old winery and new public library built in the area. All this near and on the way to Campus from the city.
At Heritage and Landscape restoration course I selected (or rather I was assigned) an area that was a decaying old wine house or wine cellar. This was located right in the city fabric comprising a decaying old train station (there are no trains in decades), a few decades-old residencial areas, an immense brownfield. This two was an 'urban unit' that bordered the University. It's noteworthy that students and staff had to cross this entire area to get into Campus. Overall, the state of this part of the city which were located beyond the rio Cabril was deplorable, in my view. A total chaos comprising a mosaic of abandon private and public land. Such was the decadence of this peri-urban landscape that I could not help but to expand the design scope to the surrounding areas which offered huge potential to the city. It seemed to me at the time that focusing only on that terrain without a more comprehensive approach (a program or planning strategy) would make little sense and would always fall short of what could be done to improve the city. The whole area is not pedestrian friendly as cars dominate and aside pollution there was(/is) there ruins and decadence in plenty.
above: city centre - the identity of the city for its residents
In another class (Urban Project) we were invited to re-thing the city center where the city hall and other services are located, but most importantly, where most of the oldest heritage of the city can be found. Alike in every street of this city, one massive problem is traffic and parking.
Here the public and private transportation relies exclusively on automobiles. There's no train nor tram. My idea envisioned giving the pedestrians priority over the automobile, particularly when we speak of the heart of the city. In order to cut traffic off from the center a Tunnel was considered which could also consider new underground parking. This tunnel would also guarantee access to the existing underground parking by the city hall. Though, its access points would change in order to give room to an urban plaza. My design concerned for the keeping of the existing trees, at least most of them (sadly, these trees were scandalously chopped down in 2020 by order of local power for no apparent good reason). In short, my design focused on keeping the mature trees alive and standing while rethinking the traffic lane in terms of layout and speed control and redesigning the sidewalks and creating an modern urban plaza. Moreover, I proposed the demolition of one building.
