MUA’s design concept aims to rejuvenate a key entrance in Abrantes’ Historic Center, preserving the old Municipal Market facades. It introduces dynamic aspects for urban, social, and economic regeneration, from the valued promenade to cultural attractions.
Maintaining the historic building’s facades enhances Abrantes’ urban identity, serving as an integral representation of the collective experience of the historic area. The facade symbolizes history, nature symbolizes regeneration, and shared spaces signify growth and progression.
The naturalistic design, integrating green areas, creates a public urban park that emphasizes walking areas, respecting existing urban boundaries. This envisions a strong pedestrian space qualification, valuing the intervention area as an entrance to the historic center.
A new green square is proposed, connecting to surrounding accesses and creating a promenade between various proposed programs, including commercial areas, a multipurpose space, cinema, café & bookstore, and covered parking.
The dematerialization of the built volume, concealed in the ground, is achieved through a “skin” of vegetation, including hedges, green roofs, climbing plants, shrubs, and subshrubs.
The space can be experienced externally with pedestrian areas and internally with various collective-use spaces, creating dynamic experiences resulting from evolving utilization.