WEST 8 wins the Parque Central Madrid Nuevo Norte design competition

West 8 have won the international design competition for the design of Parque Central Madrid Nuevo Norte. The news was recently announced at a ceremony chaired by the Mayor of Madrid. After winning, the multidisciplinary team headed by West 8, together with Porras Guadiana as a local partner, will continue to design the public space that will become a new icon for the city of Madrid.

A winning combination of design, sustainability and innovation – the winning proposal is committed to creating a large urban forest whose identity is linked with the memory of place, rising from the existing structure of Chamartín Station. With a surface area of 14.5 ha, the competition set the task of creating a central park that will be integrated into the wider system of green areas of Madrid formed by the Metropolitan Forest (Bosque Metropolitano), the Green Arch (Arco Verde) and the network of parks within Madrid Nuevo Norte. The proposal was chosen unanimously by the jury.

The winning project was announced this morning by the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who highlighted “the link between the chosen architecture teams and the city, responsible for such emblematic projects as Madrid Río, there is no doubt that they present the best project for this future iconic green space in Madrid“.

West 8’s design incorporates the layout of the decades-existing train tracks to propose a series of flowing lines that run longitudinally through the park. In addition, the creation of the central park will allow the surrounding neighbourhoods to be united, closing a historic gap within the north of the city of Madrid.

This large vertical garden will rise above the height of the treetops to capture the high breezes and direct them through its green envelope, reducing the ambient temperature and creating a cool space inside that will become the main meeting point of the park

Adriaan Geuze, West 8

A vibrant and activated park for all the day – The park’s open and flexible design will host different uses and include a variety of ambiences, while the perimeter will bring ground floor activation to the surrounding buildings. All integrated within the project, the design also includes kiosks, restaurant terraces, pavilions, food trucks and sports areas.

A welcoming and environmentally conscious park – the design incorporates rain gardens, a large lawn and a meadow to encourage visitors to connect with nature.
An innovative and interactive digital space – the new park includes sensory environments of light and sound along with the park network, which will change throughout the year calendar.

The iconic element of the park, el Jardín del Viento (Garden of Wind) will become a new benchmark for the city of Madrid. Taking the form of a spiral, the singular green structure is positioned in the middle of the park and covered by vegetation to produce its own pleasant Microclimate.

Parque Central Madrid Nuevo Norte.

Location: Madrid, Spain

Client: Comisión Gestora APR 05.31 “Centro de Negocios Chamartin”

Lead design
West 8

Project Credits
West 8: prime consultant, lead design, masterplan vision, architect & landscape architect.
Porras Guadiana Arquitectos: local partner, architect & landscape architect.

Consultants:
TYPSA – MEP and civil engineering, BIM management
INES – structural engineering
RWDI – pedestrian comfort & sustainability
Lighting Design Collective (LDC) – lighting design and soundscape
Point of Reference (POR) – signage and wayfinding
PHARES. – irrigation design
PROES. vegetation and soil design consultation, environmental Services
ZINCO – green roof solutions

About Damian Holmes 3404 Articles
Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/