smiljan radic designs flexible community space to revitalize a neighborhood in chile

photographer cristóbal palma has shared his images of a flexible community space in san pedro de la paz, a commune in chile that neighbors concepción — the country’s capital. designed by smiljan radic, working alongside fellow architect eduardo castillo, ‘centro cívico boca sur’ comprises a range of different functions. imprinted with the word ‘bomberos’, which translates as ‘firefighters’, a bright red building serves as a fire house, while a separate white structure contains a library and other multipurpose rooms.

image © cristóbal palma (also main image)

between these two buildings is a playground that contains sporting infrastructure as well as swings and climbing frames for younger children. bordering the fire house, an all-black footbridge traverses the site, providing elevated views across the play area below. this structure adjoins a tower, complete with a digital clock, that is visible from across the neighborhood. integrated floodlights mean that the entire site can be safely illuminated during evening and night hours.

image © cristóbal palma

the project is part of an urban redevelopment scheme that hopes to revitalize the region’s public space. working in close cooperation with the community, the architects devised a flexible design that would allow local residents to take ownership of the site. in addition to the more permanent aspects of the project, spaces for fruit and vegetable markets have also been allocated. see here for other projects by smiljan radic on designboom, and check out our tag of projects photographed by cristóbal palma here.

image © cristóbal palma

image © cristóbal palma

image © cristóbal palma

image © cristóbal palma

project info:

name: centro cívico boca sur
architects: smiljan radic and eduardo castillo
location: san pedro de la paz, chile
photography: cristóbal palma