Capivari Park is located in the Capivari district, the main meeting point for visitors to Campos do Jordão. The area defines the city’s tourist and commercial center, characterized by intense activity, with shops, restaurants, bars, and cafés, as well as hosting cultural events and festivals at certain times of the year.
The project was developed from the bidding phase through to construction, encompassing urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, and the management and coordination of complementary engineering projects. We also designed and implemented the park’s external wayfinding system, as well as the internal signage for the newly designed buildings.
During the bidding phase, a comprehensive diagnosis of the park and its surroundings was carried out, assessing opportunities to improve access and strengthen connections with the consolidated urban fabric of Capivari’s central area, while enhancing the site’s existing natural and historical elements. The master plan and conceptual studies developed during this stage supported the client’s successful bid and served as the foundation for both the urban design of the external areas and the architectural design of the buildings.
The Capivari Park area represents a key distinguishing element within the Capivari center. The revitalization of this public space, connected to the surrounding neighborhood, enables a broader process of transformation and renewal in the area. One of the project’s main strategies was to attract diverse audiences by introducing new attractions, while renewing the commercial offering through new concepts and products that value local culture and production.
The design approach was guided by the site’s strong landscape potential, with emphasis on the lake and the views toward Morro do Elefante, which accommodates part of the park, including the viewpoint and the cable car station. Within the park, several pre-existing structures were incorporated into the design, such as the Emílio Ribas Train Station, a building of significant historical importance linked to the Campos do Jordão Railway (EFCJ).
The park is located at a lower elevation in relation to the neighborhood’s commercial center, resulting in a degree of visual isolation from the surrounding urban dynamics. Topography therefore became a key design element, guiding solutions that promote integrated level transitions and continuous pedestrian flows between the neighborhood and the park’s main access.
A central premise of the project was the release of the park’s central area as an open space for gathering, events, and contemplation, highlighting existing and natural elements. New buildings were positioned along the park’s perimeter, integrated into the topography and forming a new architectural frontage at the park’s entrance.
The project was developed in distinct phases. Initial phases focused on improving access and parking areas, followed by the park’s urbanization and the construction of new buildings, as well as interventions on Morro do Elefante. Between the urbanization phase and the construction of the new buildings, a temporary commercial plaza composed of shipping containers was introduced, offering food services and retail spaces.
Linear elements were explored throughout the design of street furniture, paving, guardrails, and building façades, referencing the history of the EFCJ and the movement of trains and railway tracks. The landscape design creates a sequence of varied scenes throughout the park, using vegetation clusters with different textures and colors that remain visually legible even from a distance.
The wayfinding system was designed to achieve maximum harmony with the site’s natural and historical attributes, as well as with the urban and architectural design and the park’s identity. The supporting structures are vertical and reference linearity, continuity, and rhythm, reinforcing the overall design concept. The signage system is organized into four typologies, grouped according to the type of information and communication they convey.
