VINAROZ, MARINE PROMENADE

The marine promenade is the urban center of Vinaroz. Is the place where the citizens gather and meet, where the recognize clearly their own urban identity and where they relate to the ocean more often. It’s the place where the dense and unconnected city, organizes and where the sea recuperates its unquestionable protagonist. And however it might be the encounter between the city with the beach and the sea, it’s the most important and frequented space in the municipality.

The proposed arrangement solves the contradictions produced between the urban functions happening in the boarder line (specially the ones related with traffic and parking) as well as it’s access condition to the beach and its condition of stay and relax.

The combination of this contradictory objectives can be solved, simple by giving the priority to the pedestrians, in the use of this space while submerging the automobiles to certain restrictions, in those zones where it’s possible without bothering the general functioning of the site.

Majorly, the description and justification of the adopted decisions can be explained just by looking at the images of the project, which is why we are reducing this text to the explanation of the philosophical urban bases that stand the same.

The operation in reference is planed by a series of elements and pieces that are important to define:

1. The type of floor convenient for the promenade.
2. The compatibility between the different traffics.
3. The need of generating spaces “relax islands”
4. The arrangement and preparation of the existing terraces, because they are considered indispensable for the Project.
5. The accesses to the beach.
6. The lightning systems.
7. The event’s program.

A CONTINUOUS STONE SUPPORT

Wanting to give unity to the whole project, we proposed a continuous surface, of dark volcanic stone, that allows its use and abuse by pedestrians and cars. The chose of this material was not only taken because of it’s physical characteristics and its easy maintenance but because it’s an element from which we can build an identity program of Vinaroz against the rest of the Valencia’s coast.

Above this surface we locate different Wood platforms that allows the stay areas to interact with the surrounding “chiringuitos” and the different access to the beach. These platforms are placed over the stone so that they can be easily changed; of place, organization and size.

CIRCULATION

Vinaroz is a population that was developed between the N 340 highway and the sea. These two territorial parallel elements had determined (and in certain cases limited) its growth and development, and, over time had created certain internal functional problems that reach their maximum expression in the ocean borderline because of the many and different activities that take place in one same spot.

The marine promenade it’s a key element for the traffic mobility in the urban system of Vinaroz. To the marine promenade, of 780m long face almost 100 buildings, that require specific traffic needs, and at least 35 restaurants that need daily supply and broad access for their clients.

This is why even if the priority of the project is given to the pedestrians, we needed to keep the traffic circulation along the whole project, to give access to the houses and restaurants along the promenade. The existing parkings were kept and their access was improved and certain areas were kept for future parkings to satisfy the future need.

Given the different urban configuration of the promenade in the south part (where we find parallel streets) and north part (where we find that all of the streets are perpendicular) we propose an underground parking in the northern part of the promenade (in case the budget will permit it) that can work as a traffic tunnel, that assures the traffic circulation at any time along the project.

TIME MANAGEMENT

The city is an organism that develops over time in a cyclic way.

The Mediterranean climate provides tour stations, that in a very specific way conditions the functioning of the territory along the year, specially in the locations where tourism is one of it’s main incomes.

The density reached during the summer drops dramatically over autumn, winter and spring, the good news is that this impact diminishes as the different Valencia’s municipals improve their behavior during the low seasons.

In any case, the differences still exist, and in the other hand the publics spaces have a very different typology, the intensity and dynamisms acquired over the summer changes into a complete calmness and tranquility during the rest of the year. This is why it’s mandatory to project a marine promenade capable to adapt to the different use regimes and the different circumstances happening throughout the year. A marine promenade that, apart its basic functions, goes beyond a merely scenario condition and becomes a wonderful flexible platform capable of answering to a more wide demand of events and sporadic uses.

THE SECTION ARRANGEMENT

We propose a new section arrangement of the promenade , using the palm trees as the main structural element. This way, the section obtained will have the traffic circulation in the central part while the northern and southern parts can be added in case the pedestrian flow diminishes and the need is real.

URBAN GRID

GEOMETRY
The promenade is 792 meter long and a total surface of 30.500 squared meters. To organize this surface, we created a linear 3 meters grid that runs equally along the surface.

MOBILITY
We drew a new mobility for the promenade, where both, pedestrians and vehicles can run in a very compatible way. The urban attractions (school and market), the parkings, the restaurants, the squares and the access to the beach are attractions at the same time natural to their surroundings and their centrality.

TRAM
Overlapping the circulation system with the linear grid, the trams orientate the space, and valorize their dimension in function to the principal movements that occur in the site. We have now a smaller grid, prepared for the pedestrian near to the beach and a bigger one as it approaches the city.

ELEMENTS
Over the promenade we find a series of elements in a rhythmic way (44 units of 18 meters) in function of their need along the project. In this way they are organized from the main buildings, the spaces of stay for children, young people and families, the urban elements and the beach accesses.

ELEMENTS IN THE PROMENADE

“Chiringuitos” and toilets
The “chiringuitos” are ephemeral constructions located along the promenade. They have little bars, stores or information stands. They are made of a metal structure and a wood covering and a textile top generates a huge shadow in its interior. These “chiringuitos” are located near the beach accesses to avoid constructions in the beach itself. Certain “chiringuitos” incorporate Toilets.

Terraces
In front of the existing restaurants the installation of terraces over a wood platform installed over the rock floor is allowed. On top of these platforms its possible to protect with umbrellas over the summer and the light plastic tents that allow the use of these terraces over the winter.

Relax islands
Over the hard floor surface, we placed a series of wood platforms, that act like islands in the dynamic promenade’s surrounding. These islands (hexagonal wooden platforms) have different structures that depending to their adopted form they will allow the pedestrian to either sit down or lay down. These islands can be either found individual or in groups to reinforce the human interaction.

Kids playgrounds
We find these playgrounds in the same hexagonal forms but this time they have been subtracted from the surface, creating a soft surface (earth) over which we place modern wood and steal games that allow the dynamic interaction with the objects.

Accesses
The height from the promenade until the beach varies from 20 cm in the southern part and 2.10 m in the northern part. To overcome this distance we’ve placed 7 accesses made with wood platforms that allow different access ramps (specially conceived for handicaps and children) and stairs.

Showers / fountains
Next to the ramp accesses of the beach we place groups of showers, placed in a way that once you shower you will not have any contact with the sand again. They are places over hexagonal units and some other ones are equipped with fountains. We can find them next to the accesses or kids playgrounds.

Lightning
Following the palm trees alignment we placed a series of structures that incorporates the lightning of the promenade and the beach. It was on purpose that these structures were not placed in the border of the promenade and the beach, we didn’t want to block this limit we wanted it completely clear.

Structure
In the central part of the promenade, facing the old schools we located the bigger structure. A very light metallic structure that cover itself with a semi-transparent textile cloth. This space permits the celebration of different events, concerts and shows in an spontaneous and open way . As this structure is not closed and in absence of an spectacle, the pedestrian simply crosses this conceived space as another face of the promenade.

Materiality
The promenade will have an abstract and sensual materiality. The transition between the spontaneous and free beach space and the city, happens in the promenade, a space that allows being bare foot in the city, lay down, encounter a game of shadows and have the conditions to enjoy the Mediterranean climate.

Stone
We are using a basaltic volcanic stone of various sizes respecting the longitudinal joint. In the central part of the promenade they have a thickness of 7 cm to allow the passage of the vehicles and in the lateral parts a thickness of 3.5 mc.

Wood
We are using the Ipe wood with a special treatment. Measures 12 x 150 cm. Thickness 3 cm in the walking parts and a thickness of 6 cm in the relax areas and benches.