2004-2005 Grand Central Square - Caracas
Aerial View of Square
Issues
A number of issues were identified on the site. These problems became an additional, self-imposed brief for the competition.
- Buildings in the Grand Central Square are at great distances from each other, thus there is an over dimensioning of space, which is out of human scale.
- Casanova Avenue cuts through the square thus severing its Northern part.
- Inactive edges of buildings defining the square edges.
- Lack of visual and experiential focus for square.
View of Square
Strategies
Detailed strategies were formulated to combat the issues. These included:
- opening facades as open rooms onto the square, specifically the around hotel area and shopping centre façade; outdoor room in front of convention centre.
- large-scale monument at centre of main square acting as visual focus from the four axis points of the square that also acts as grand entrance to the exhibition centre below.
- the creation of smaller main square with Villanueva footprint along the traditional Venezuelan’s square layout; smaller sub-spaces and microclimates with flexibility of uses for day/night and multiple function.
- interlocking pavement from square across Casanova Avenue with building columns and pillars as connectors. Linking the Northern edge of the Grand Central Square both physically and psychologically.
Master Plan
Design & Concept
Provide an innovative, memorable space offering a variety of experiences and activities with a strong underlying structure and idea. The contours of the main square are created by vertically projecting the footprint of the Villanueva building onto the pavement and extending these bands across Grand Central Square. The large grid patterns and granite pavement provide the underlying structure of the square, thus demarcating the different functional zones of the square.
The eastern and western walls of the Villanueva building rise up above the square and form free standing walls to create service walls with kiosks on either side.
The lighting system enhances the feeling of safety, aids in orientation and way finding and highlights areas of cultural and historical importance.
The design is eco-sustainable and ecofriendly hence the preservation of the wooden area and the addition of a small green area of grass, plants, and shrubs and trees. These trees soften the strict geometric grid of the pavement and the building facades defining the square edges.
The central monument of the square is its crowning feature constituting the central symbolic icon of Venezuelan unity and drawing people towards it. The monument constitutes a modern artistic interpretation and rendition of Simon Bolivar, representing the central symbol of the Venezuelan imaginaire.
The furnishing of the square is generous and varied to accommodate large numbers of people and anticipated large events, with a variety of users. The square edges, like the shopping and hotel façade, are more formal featuring a row of small trees and dwarf hedges that form the backbone for cafes, tables and chairs, and restaurants. As we move away from the edges towards the centre, the seating becomes more informal, with benches, tables, seats, and ledges for people to sit
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