Parque de Levante

K/R Architects have completed the master plan for the 100-acre (40-hectare) Parque de Levante in Murcia, Spain.

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, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Site Plan, Image: K/R. Above: Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Land-Bridge, Image: VUW.
Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Site Plan, Image: K/R. Above: Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Land-Bridge, Image: VUW.
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.
Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Aerial View, Image: VUW.
Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Aerial View, Image: VUW.
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.
Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Aerial View, Image: VUW
Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Aerial View, Image: VUW
Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Segura River Walk, Image: VUW Parque
Parque de Levante, Master Plan by K/R Architects, Segura River Walk, Image: VUW Parque

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