Project implementation: Brazil
Project development: Brazil
Between 2021 and 2023, a multidisciplinary team led by landscape architects developed three park projects for Rio's North Zone: Inhaúma Park (47,000 m²), Costa Barros Park (28,350 m²), and Pavuna Park (14,434 m²), the latter built and inaugurated in 2024. Located in neighborhoods marked by low social development indices, the projects share similar programs, concepts, and budgetary challenges, conceived in dialogue with the demands of municipal management and community leaders to become green and open public facilities, anchoring areas for coexistence, leisure, and learning.
In Parque Carioca Pavuna, a 22-meter-high sculpture evokes the roots of the mangrove forest, from which jets of water gush during the day and beams of light at night. Adjacent to the wetland, sand surfaces reinterpret the uses of the coastal landscape, already so beloved by Rio residents. In Parque Inhaúma, on the banks of the Timbó River, extensive drainage gardens help detain and infiltrate water to mitigate flooding during extreme weather events. In Parque Costa Barros, the sports program expands into residual spaces in the immediate surrounding area, transforming a currently impassable frontier into a porous edge.
Through the contemporary pillars of Landscape Architecture, the balance between abiotic preexisting habitats, attention to vegetation, and a versatile program give the three designed parks a unique identity. The result aligns with the principles of climate justice by promoting the expansion of quality open spaces, contributing to the environmental regeneration and urban resilience of Rio's historically neglected areas.