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Parque del Este

1957–1961, Caracas
Landscape architecture: Roberto Burle Marx
Associates: Maurício Monte, Júlio César Pessolani Zavala, Fernando Tábora, John Stoddart, J. Maria de Araújo Souza; Leandro Aristeguieta (botanist), Augusto Ruschi (zoologist), A. Brandt (engineer)

Because most of his projects outside of Brazil were realised in Venezuela, Burle Marx founded a company in Caracas, Roberto Burle Marx y Arquitectos Associados, together with the architects Maurício Monte, Fernando Tábora, Júlio César Pessolani Zavala and John Stoddart.

The Parque del Este is the largest project that this interdisciplinary team completed. In the rapidly growing city, the park became the most important recreation space. It runs over 82 hectares and is divided into three zones: one for the zoological and botanical collections, one for diverse leisure activities featuring large open spaces as well as sport facilities and playgrounds, and one whose design is more strongly architectonic, with a series of different courtyards inspired by traditional Venezuelan architecture. In Courtyard A vertical and horizontal elements are foregrounded. For this courtyard, Burle Marx designed a tile mural with an orthogonal grid, enlivened by horizontal fountain elements, with palm trees emphasising the vertical axis. The designs for Courtyard H feature a concrete relief with circular motifs that are reflected in the design of the lawn, a fountain, round flower beds, and the tables and umbrellas of the café.

Burle Marx and his team went on botanical expeditions to various ecological regions of Venezuela in order to be able to use as many native plant species as possible. The planting schemes in the botanical collections are largely based on the plant communities found in nature. Park maintenance also plays a role in the design: a viveiro (nursery) with propagation stations and planting beds is meant to ensure that dead plants can be replaced; it also trains the gardeners who take care of the park in the handling of these species. Parque del Este is currently in poor condition because of both the closure of the viveiros and Venezuela’s difficult political and economic situation.