urban design | public space | culture

Year: 2009-2010.
Area: 13 ha. / 32 acres

“Balneario los Angeles” is a former bath area along the stream Saladillo in the periphery of Rosario city. It was fully functioning in the 40s and 50s as a recreational area  with beaches along the stream and a group of pools that used it’s water. The north bank of the stream was defined by an eucalyptus forest. After several floods the stream was canalized loosing its original topography. Because of this the beaches disappeared. Furthermore the neighborhood was converted into an industrial area and displaced the remaining inhabitants. In the following decades the park was abandoned. Today it is exploited for the extraction of soil to make bricks as an informal activity.
The project aims to recover the lost bathing areas creating a new artificial topography. The operation follows the same process of caving, moving and accumulating soil that defined the identity of this place in the past and present. The new voids are planned to control the cyclical floods but shape in order to be used when the stream is in its normal state.
The paths proposed follow the original riverbed and the forest limits. The facilities are set as  landmarks along the first line of the forest in order to be visible not only from the park but also by the highways that surround the area. 
A new cultural and educational program besides the park is proposed. The workshop buildings functions as social catalysts for the neighborhood and for the visitors.