This urban architecture commission in the outskirts of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, attends a series of pragmatic problems that the Capitol District currently faces: vehicle invasion of pedestrian and building domain; insufficient parking; lack of informal meeting space, public space, and urban furniture; poor visual connections of surrounding bodies of water; unsafe connection between historical buildings; lack of urban presence of a landmark historic building; and poor vehicle and pedestrian connectivity to future and existing San Juan Bay Development efforts; among others.
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The project, located at the east side of Capitol District, intends to establish connections at different levels and directions. On the one hand it establishes a physical east-west connection between two historical buildings within the district: The Old School of Tropical Medicine Building, now occupied by legislative related offices and support facilities, and the Senate’s Annex Building. On the other, it establishes a north-south urban connection between the Capitol District and the San Juan Bay Tourist Area and an inviting public space. A comprehensive Parking Management Strategy was implemented, beginning by relocating the invasive parking at the Old School of Tropical Medicine Building (originally on the building’s perimeter and courtyard), to an adjacent vacant lot and to a new provisional lot, as part of a parking reduction program.
For this new urban plan, the existing Rev. Davila Street was extended southward to new Old San Juan Waterfront Park Development known as Bahia Urbana; thus reducing through-traffic in the Capitol District and increasing pedestrian foot-traffic between the different areas. Visual connections of the San Juan Bay are reestablished, and jointly with Atlantic Ocean views, give a better sense of place and orientation. Pedestrian infrastructure is improved through ample tree-covered sidewalks, custom-designed urban furniture, adequate street crosswalks meeting ADA Requirements to ensure universal access throughout the District, and appropriate street and sidewalk lighting to improve safety and night life in the Capitol District area.
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