FCC Construcción has completed the new “La Gavia” park in Madrid. This new space that covers 40 hectares, with an investment of more than 17 million euros and which has been developed in the last two years.

The planting of 2,630 new trees, six hectares of shrubs and 0.75 hectares of lawns has been carried out with criteria of urban ecological sustainability, promoting the public use of green areas and the landscape integration of arboreal and shrub plant species. The entire reform has been carried out with guarantees of universal accessibility.

La Gavia Park occupies a total area of almost 40 hectares in the Ensanche de Vallecas. By being attached to the green area of La Atalayuela by means of its enclosure and the two singular spaces having been declared, the total area is close to 48.6 hectares.

The landscape of this large green area is characterized by a series of chained hills and a valley where the La Gavia stream has been recreated. Its initial design is the work of the renowned Japanese architect, 2013 Priztker Award winner, Toyo Ito. Due to its marked oriental character, in the gentle hills stands out groves of trees of various species, among which white poplars, quince trees, holm oaks or black poplars predominate, and a central estuary dotted with massifs of shrubs such as wild rose bushes, wicker, currant and gorse.

At the top of the hills, you can enjoy views, by way of viewpoints, of the town of Vallecas and fields and infrastructures on the outskirts of Madrid. The City Council has taken advantage of the existence of these hills to establish different uses in each of them that harmonize the whole of the park, allowing the view of the landscape from different angles and heights. A more urban area can be distinguished to the east, close to Avenida de Mayorazgo, and a more forested or agricultural area to the west.

The central estuary divides the space in two. The whole area is crossed by a network of dirt roads, including the Magdalena road or the Cañada del Santísimo, an old rural road. The stream is made up of sheets of water with geysers that flow into a lake. Around there is a promenade with riverside trees and two pedestrian bridges that were already built.

The entrance to the park is from three points through Avenida del Mayorazgo, on the southern edge it has vehicle access to facilitate the conservation work of the storm pond and two pedestrian entrances. There are three thematic areas in the urban area: the Water Square, the Forest of the Senses and the Water Tree.

The water square
It stands as a watchtower in the highest area of the most urban area. In this space, paving work has been carried out, being the only area with hard pavement in the park and that has sustainable urban drainage criteria. It is accessed from its entire perimeter through a set of steps or landscaped steps that serve as both a living area and a walkway, being able to walk around the perimeter through its four access levels.

This space is the part most easily accessible from Avenida del Mayorazgo, a meeting point for various activities, with shaded areas through pergolas and free space for recreation with different elements of urban furniture for meetings. On this hill, the water is the focal point. From it, visitors can have a global vision of the park, as well as being a magnificent meeting point for various activities. It is the only area with hard pavement in the park, but with sustainable urban drainage criteria.

The Forest of the Senses
Its paths are framed by landscaped amoebas that lead to different play areas: an integration area, designed to stimulate the senses, encourage physical exercise, creativity and fantasy, as well as facilitate the development of balance, motor skills and coordination. , favoring the full inclusiveness of all children regardless of their physical or intellectual capacities so that they all play and interact in the same environment. It has an adventure area with slides, zip lines and a multi-adventure game shaped like a giant bamboo. It also incorporates an area of the senses, a space dedicated to children's games to sharpen, as its name indicates, the senses through musical instruments, games of touch, sensory, etc.

The Water Tree
In its aquatic area, it has the appearance of a lake and geometric shapes that, due to their design, show six main squares bordering the entire tree: three of them are eminently landscaped, recreating in each square an aspect similar to that of a Japanese garden, sober and elegant , and the other three squares have several spaces for different uses: picnic tables, exercise areas for the elderly and various equipment.

Other spaces
Other prominent spaces within from this new city park are the central estuary, which begins its journey at a small waterfall near Avenida del Mayorazgo, running east-west and ending in a lake. It divides the space into two areas linked by two pedestrian bridges. Around it includes a walk with wooded and bushy riverside plantations.

It has four hills with their own name: the hill on wheels, which is the area for various sports practices associated with wheels (bicycles, skateboarding); the wind hill, a free space dedicated to kite flying enthusiasts; the hill of recycling, where the tires that surrounded the environment have taken the form of furniture to learn to value and care for what surrounds us and belongs to all. This hill aims to provide a unique value due to the educational connotations and environmental values associated with recycling, which are non-existent in other recreational spaces in the city. The last hill, that of the picnic area, has shady plantations, picnic tables and a terracotta floor finish, creating a pleasant living space in which to enjoy a day outdoors.

The sport, protagonist
La Gavia has a climbing area attached to the recycling hill. In it, a climbing wall has been erected with a vertical wall with different heights for the practice of climbing focused on the different ages of the users.

A parkour area has been set up next to the climbing area. Lovers of this physical discipline will be able to develop their skills, which enjoy a growing following among young people.

In addition, a sports area has been designed aimed at various practices and various ages, taking advantage of the space on the deck of the storm pool, which has a training area and multisport courts.

Special spaces
La Gavia has a stellar viewpoint that consists of different elements of urban furniture according to its use as a meeting area, rest and star observatory.

The canine area has been located above the storm pond with a large space for dog training. These facilities are a space for the different users of the park to coexist, allowing the loose dogs to stay in the public green areas without causing inconvenience to other users. The dog park consists of a facility with training elements for pets.

Commitment to urban environmental sustainability
A drainage network has been established that collects, channels and evacuates all the rainwater in such a way that runoff is avoided, thus achieving the double effect of, on the one hand, keeping the road surfaces and terrains in the area in good condition. green and, on the other hand, avoid flooding that at certain times of the year prevent users from circulating comfortably.

The installation of public lighting meets the purpose of achieving adequate conditions of reliability, safety, economy and aesthetics. Two independent networks have been designed, one for the lighting fixtures in the green area and the other for the lighting projectors for sports courts and climbing walls. Luminaires with high energy efficiency LEDs and high performance optics have been chosen.