Recreation & Sport Park Brixen
TYPE Public space, Landscape, Education,Masterplan
STATUS Competition, 2° prize
LOCATION Brixen, Italy
YEAR 2022
CLIENT Stadtgemeinde Brixen
DESIGN TEAM Agnese Alfonsi (M7 architecture), Andrea Bellentani, Eva Castro, Tina Cerpnjak, Ulla Hell, Holger Kehne, Alex Platon (M7 architecture) , Peter Pichler, Marco Sette (M7 architecture), Chuan Wang
COLLABORATORS M7 architecture+Design-Architetto Marco Sette, LA Britta Tscherteu , KTB engineering, DieModellbauer, Davide Lorenzato
The first objective was to develop the site as a new urban node. Across the river from the site, there are pre-existing sports facilities, as well as schools and homes. Through the construction of a new bridge and the removal of obstacles, the physical and visual dialogue between the two banks is enabled, creating a single park. A network of cycle and pedestrian paths connect this new green lung to the city, allowing it to become an integral part of it. The river and the mountain form the pivotal axis of the view to which the entire project refers. To integrate the new buildings into the landscape, their height is limited.
The intervention follows the slope by a concise cut-and-fill strategy, inserting the architecture into the ground, subsequently covering buildings with the excavated soil to create green roofs. In this way, the built environment takes on the forms of the landscape and interacts with it, allowing the topography to take the lead role. Only the frames of the volumes stand out, their generous glass surfaces establishing a reciprocal relationship between inside and outside: the landscape permeates the architecture, while at the same time the sporting activities are revealed to the visitors of the park. The choice of materials also reinforces the bond with the place: alongside concrete, local porphyry and dolomite stone, characteristic of Brixen, are being used.
The volumes open onto a large, permeable green space, walkable through bands of porphyry and recycled concrete. As a central element, also linking to the western riverbank, a natural setting has been conceived: the selection of plants promotes biodiversity and animates the park throughout the seasons with colors and scents. The result is a place that becomes both an “active” landscape, welcoming sports activities, and a “contemplative” one, where the community can stroll, pause, and enjoy the greenery together with views of the mountain and the river.
