A community park in the heart of the Mexican jungle

In a ten-hectare area immersed in the subtropical jungle, Aidia Studio designs a new multifunctional public space to host the annual Chetumal Fair.

After the local market in Yucatán, Aidia Studio signs a new public intervention in the south-eastern region of Mexico. In Chetumal, near the border with Belize, the studio was commissioned to transform a ten-hectare area designated for the annual fair into a year-round urban park. The government-funded initiative responds to the growing importance of the local event, now an event that includes concerts, rides and craft markets.

AIDIA Studio, Quintana Roo Park, Chetumal, Mexico, 2024. Photo © Andrés Cedillo

The site is located in a subtropical jungle setting and has a trapezoidal shape (200x400 metres) with only one access point. To overcome this criticality, the project introduces a perimeter road circuit, equipped with parking spaces and 800-metre-long bicycle and pedestrian paths, which facilitates distributed access to the park's various facilities.

The masterplan includes a series of public spaces: a thousand-seat arena for sports and music events, a multifunctional pavilion, covered basketball courts, skatepark, shops, children's playgrounds, fitness equipment, and a civic plaza located at the entrance. The latter is defined by the presence of eleven ceibas, symbolic trees in the Mesoamerican tradition.

AIDIA Studio, Quintana Roo Park, Chetumal, Mexico, 2024. Photo © Andrés Cedillo

The arrangement of the functions follows a circular logic: round-shaped volumes connected by tangent arches structure the park in a continuous sequence, avoiding hierarchies and favouring a fluid spatial experience. The path develops between waterways and shaded areas, ending in the arena, the main volume of the complex.

The design maintains a low density to preserve the existing vegetation. The materials chosen respond to the local climatic context: light metal frames, wooden finishes, perforated brick walls for natural ventilation, tiled roofs, light-coloured surfaces to limit heat absorption. All structures are modular, to simplify construction and contain costs.

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