The plan for the Parque de Levante, which reinvents the concept of a museum-park explores the
relationship between art and culture as a generator of creativity and education,
as well as economic dynamism and tourism. The park will serve the
Mediterranean region as a major art destination. K/R Architects recently presented the
master plan at City Hall in Murcia.
Currently, the park occupies a vast parcel of land along the Segura River
within walking distance of the city's historic center. The master plan envisions
the site as a sustainable and bio-diverse open air museum – the largest in
Spain and one of the largest worldwide – devoted to extensive land-based art
installations, and a 485,000 square feet (45,000 square meter) campus for a
new Museum of Art, Design and the Environment. The mission of the museum
will be to support and expand on the open-air installations by collecting,
preserving and exhibiting works by artists and designers that deal with the
natural environment in new and innovative ways. The design of the museum
campus and its buildings will be determined by an architectural competition to
be initiated later this year.
Parque de Levante
K/R Architects have completed the master plan for the 100-acre (40-hectare) Parque de Levante in Murcia, Spain.
View Article details
- 11 May 2011
- Murcia
K/R's design interweaves diverse landscape elements with civic amenities throughout the site, including a 1.2-mile (1.9-kilometer)-long shaded promenade that meanders through groves of existing citrus trees and new plantings. The promenade will connect the eastern and western portion of the site via a land bridge that spans an existing roadway. According to John Keenen, K/R's lead designer on the project, the land bridge "provides a sculptural presence that unifies the park, connecting the two east and west halves of the site while providing elevated views of the historic urban fabric and the landscape of the outlying areas.
The master plan also includes proposals for the restoration of the Segura
riverbanks, a center for food and agriculture, an event place to host largescale
gatherings such as the yearly 'La Feria' festival, and an artist residency
program, to name a few.
In addition to support from the City of Murcia, a group of individuals and
private companies led by the Fundación Gabarrón formed Murcia Futuro, a
foundation that will provide support for the project. Murcia Futuro's mission will
also include attracting donations of privately held works and promoting the
park's landscape as an "artist's canvas". The park will notably offer
contemporary artists and designers an opportunity to realize their visions on a
scale unavailable elsewhere.