International Expo "Water and Sustainable Development"
Water Park
What is the Water Park?
Definition
The Meandro de Ranillas is the name of a large area of rustic land created by the Ebro River basin that forms a natural barrier between the city of Zaragoza and the fertile agricultural areas on the banks of the river. This is where the Expo 2008 has chosen to place its site, occupying 25% of the surface area while the remaining 75% has been designaate a Water Park - a legacy that will enhance the city enormously, once the Expo is over. The two areas - site and Water Park - are separated by Zaragoza's third ring road called the Ronda del Rabal . Almost half of the 120 hectares dedicated to the Water Park pertains to the riverside ecosystem and will receive careful natural treatment at all times
Different forms of water create a verbal progression through the Park from North through to the place where it meets the Ebro: from the noisy turbulent water through to placid, mirror-like pools, the specially built swimming pool and the nature of the river. This constitutes a living, self-sufficient system that purifies the water taken from the River Ebro, the Rabal irrigation channel and from the water table to supply the bathing areas with perfectly clean water. It is later recyled to be used for irrigation and the surplus is finally poured back into the river.
The landscape of the park will be dominated by Water as an element integrated into a natural purification system, an example to be used for teaching purposes that combines regulating channels, aqueducts, lagoons, navigation channels, white water channels and much more. The geometry of the park is built around the original agricultural system of this area, making the most of its paths or irrigation channels. This then is a logical extension of the development of Zaragoza and will be a home to leisure activities, facitilies and a variety of services.
Architecture
All the architectural work and planning is being managed solely by Zaragoza City Council. The Project has been drawn up by the team of architects, Iñaki Alday and Margarita Jover along with the French landscape architect, Cristine Dalnoky. The works corresponding to Offprint 2 “Riverside Grove” have been awarded to the company Dalmau, who have already completed almost all of the planting planned for . The works corresponding to Offprint 1 “General Earth Movement” have been awarded to the ALPI-CAUDEVILLA JOINT VENTURE and the land modelling work and channel excavation work is progressing very fast, as well as the general levelling of the Bulevar de Ranillas area. The remaining project offprints have been drafted and are in the technical supervision phase.
