Bulevar de Guápiles, urban boulevard

Overview

The Bulevar de Pococí grows from the axis that founded Guápiles. Laid out by the Atlantic Railway to carry bananas and coffee, it now crosses the city from east to west for four kilometres, parallel to Route 32 and with a twenty-metre-wide boulevard along its southern side. The project works on 1.2 kilometres of this corridor as the first stage of its renewal.

The design organises eleven segments with different uses and continuous surfaces. In the centre, next to the old railway station (now the Casa de la Cultura de Pococí), the existing roof is doubled to create a plaza able to host large events. To the west lies the Paseo Gastronómico, 230 metres of wide sidewalks designed for outdoor dining and for the annual parades on Avenida Pococí. To the east, a plaza of continuous geometry directs the eye toward the palm trees of the Parque Central. Each node has its own character and all share the same logic of ground, planting and shade.

Water is a central condition of the Guápiles climate. The project redesigns the storm drainage to eliminate recurring floods and adds three large public canopies and two covered bus stops. At the centre it places a turtle in a reflecting pool, the symbol of Pococí, which receives the rain from the neighbouring roof. The twelve Jardines de Guápiles complete the system with botanical areas open to visitors that display local biodiversity.