Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Malecon, Puerto Vallarta

West 8

Malecon serves a long term strategic plan to enhance the local identity of Puerto Vallarta and to promote its position in today’s tourism industry. The kilometer long waterfront encourages tourists and villagers to mingle, thus reinforcing the social heart of the old village. To achieve this, West 8 proposed a series of recommendations to the mayor together with the collaboration of Estudio 3.14 and project architect of Trama Arquitectos, realised in a record period of just eight months.

To be able to create a contemporary public space waterfront in the Malecon, pedestrians and their comfort were prioritized. Visitors and locals may now parade along the Malecon in comfort, as shade is now generated and view lines towards the Pacific Ocean are guaranteed. A total of three-hundred Foxtail Palms were introduced and planted in a marine shaped inspired planter. They were placed alongside the oceanfront, allowing pedestrians to relax and mingle around on the seating edges under the canopy of palms and breeze of the ocean, surrounded by colourful authentic botanic species. Additionally in the evening, an efficient illumination system contributes to the romantic sense of a place together with appropriated luminious intensity for the user eyes. This was called “The Moonlight effect”. This effect allows a clear visibility of the Ocean during the night and avoids harsh lighting from disrupting the social encounters on the public space. The “Moonlight effect” also avoids the disturbance of the local ecosystem; intensive lightning no longer disorientates the sea turtles hatching on the beach, and allow tourists and locals to meet in a comfortable romantic atmosphere.

An initiative of the Vallarta Botanical Garden donated one-thousand bougainvilleas to the Malecon, with the aim to recreate annual Bougainvillea Festival. An additional activity added to the identity of this important public realm to sustain and promote the local economy. These bougainvilleas were strategically placed on a design Y-shaped flower pole, bringing a strong new image to the street front of the waterfront and serving as a response to the initiation of a colorful Bougainvillea Festival.

To conclude, the most important element of this intervention, capturing the local authenticity and spirit, is the “Mosaico Vallarta”. The Mosaic reflects the local expertise of a unique qualified craftsmanship already present in their public realm; a traditional river stone paving technique combines with the indigenous culture of the Huichol art. It was inspired by a masterpiece commissioned to the prominent Huichol artist, Fidenzio Benitez in which the artist narrates the Origin of Vallarta; a place where Motherland and Ocean meets.

By claiming identity and tradition of today in the heart of Puerto Vallarta, the Malecon waterfront exemplifies a role model in the Mexican Region. Puerto Vallarta’s new waterfront is intended as a showcase of the importance of public space design throughout Latin America’s emerging countries.

Europaconcorsi Beta

Malecon, Puerto Vallarta