As Estufas da Ribeira: Da articulação do sistema à reativação do lugar

Sofia Baltazar Fontes

Key information

Authors:

Sofia Baltazar Fontes (Sofia Baltazar Fontes)

Supervisors:

Paulo David Abreu Andrade (Paulo David Abreu Andrade); Daniela Arnaut Godinho Antunes (Daniela Arnaut)

Published in

November 25, 2022

Abstract

Between two cliffs, a water line The site, Ribeira de João Gomes, is characterized by the presence of two imposing basaltic cliffs and constitutes an important element of articulation between the historic center and the northeast of Funchal, in Madeira Island. However, the ribeira valley is currently in decline, due to the car predominance, degraded and disqualified construction, and also due to the absence of a public space structure. Thus, this ecological corridor needs an intervention that preserves the memory of the site, enhances its values, and stimulates the articulation between the two margins and the rest of the city. The proposed program develops along a sequence of greenhouses of endemic and exotic plants, placed perpendicular to the waterline. Thus, the banks of the stream become a permeable green park, of promenade and discovery of Madeira's botanical richness, allowing the arboreal continuity of the valley. It is also proposed the creation of greenhouses for vertical farming, in order to continue the agricultural production present in the place, promoting a more sustainable and self-sufficient way of living. In addition, the intention is to create a flower and vegetable market. In order to fill in the existing urban discontinuities due to the difference in heights, some greenhouses also function as public elevators, allowing the houses on the slopes to have access to the stream and vice versa. Thus, the reactivation of the place is generated through a system that simultaneously articulates plant exhibition spaces, community gardens, a market and mobility infrastructures.