Plaza Vargas was historically known as “La Esplanda” full of lush trees, and used to face the Caribbean sea in the colonial city of La Guaira. Today the port is located directly across from this public space, in a way justifying the plazas most recent modifications in the 1980s, which closes in on itself with a series of peripheral half walls and raised planters. Recent efforts to revitalize La Guaira and attract tourism have led the current Mayor Suarez to encourage private investors to support beautification efforts. Fospuca, a waste collection company in Venezuela is interested in contributing to La Guaira´s transformation and engaged Enlace Arquitectura to begin the process. Our approach has been to open the space toward streets and building facades, as well as increasing vegetation and tree coverage. Universal access is achieved with modestly sloped ramps, and a new canopy covers an underground passage and bus stop for pedestrians.

Client: Fospuca |