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Verde Vivo: New Vision for Parque Verde in Penacova, Portugal

By Constantin Boym

"This project will be a part of À DERIVA, the first international architecture, art, and design festival in Penacova, Portugal, to take place in July 2025.

Parque Verde is a small and beloved local park in Penacova. It’s been neglected for a while, becoming dilapidated and overgrown, and the citizens of Penacova talked about it wistfully during the Town Hall meeting. Our team of students from School of Design is working in an agency-like lab at Pratt Research Yard on developing ideas for new vision of Parque Verde. The goal is to turn it into a hub of outdoor activities for town residents of different ages. To that end, we envision a number of “islands” scattered throughout the park —areas of specific activities, such as children’s play, music, sports, learning local flora and fauna, picnics and food exchange. These areas will be connected by existing pathways, activating the entire territory of the park."

A hand-drawn conceptual diagram titled
A hand-drawn conceptual diagram titled
A digital site plan illustrating topography and trails across a green hillside area. The map uses contour lines to show elevation, with a network of winding paths, roads, and white building footprints interspersed throughout the forested zone.
A conceptual elevation drawing of an entrance display. A silhouetted figure stands in front of an information board showing a green site map. Below is a patterned wall with a yellow railing, two recycling bins, and a canopy structure overhead, labeled
A satellite image of a park in Penacova, Portugal, featuring wooded trails, a children’s playground labeled “Parque infantil de Carrazedos,” and civic buildings including the “Centro de Saúde de Penacova.” The image shows surrounding roads, parked vehicles, and labeled points of interest across a green landscape.
  • A black-and-white portrait of Constantin Boym, standing in an indoor setting, wearing a striped button-up shirt, holding his glasses.

    Constantin Boym

    Founded Boym Partners Inc. (1986); collections include Museum of Modern Art (New York); awards include National Design Award (2009), eight I.D. magazine Annual Design Awards, including Best of Category (2000),…