Terminal and Sagrado Coração de Jesus Square | Yuri Nobre Arquitetura & Urbanismo

Conceived as part of the winning proposal of the National Ideas Competition, promoted by Fortaleza City Hall, which presented the requalification of approximately 40,000m² of public spaces dating back to the beginning of the last century, with the aim of making them inviting within a heritage context in the city's historic center, the projects for the Bus Terminal and Square Sagrado Coração de Jesus had a special emphasis on their relationship with the Sanctuary (1964), and especially with the memory and integration with Parque da Liberdade - Cidade da Criança (1890), listed as a heritage site in 1993. The author team realized the need for greater comfort for bus users in an area where, according to data from the Fortaleza Urban Transport Company (ETUFOR), there were approximately 6,000 boardings/disembarkation per hour, making it an essential connection point between the center and other areas of the city. It was strictly necessary to modernize the region's mobility infrastructure, but also to understand the urban context and the importance of that region for the memory of the people of Fortaleza. The structure needed to be fully integrated into the redevelopment project of a historic square (1880), within the immediate surroundings of a listed urban park. The design of the terminal is intentionally light and minimalist and combines the function of modernizing the infrastructure with a deep respect for the historic center in which it is located, by integrating harmoniously with its surroundings. The roof is made of a metal structure, with its X-shaped beams, purlins and bracing standing out, forming an imposing structural span that is now a landmark of the city center. The supporting pillars of the roof are made of reinforced concrete and form a single structural axis where steel tubes connect and throw large overhangs of 7 and 14m. The metal tile sandwich panel´s roof slopes towards the center, directly connected to the pillars. The new, modern open passenger terminal on Solon Pinheiro Street replaces the old steel roofs, restored in the project and relocated to Jaime Benévolo Street (parallel), based on the understanding of the need to preserve part of the visual identity of the surroundings, due to the striking design of these old structures, thus forming a proposal for a corridor for pedestrian activities on a stone road that was elevated and agglutinated as a public space in the square, thus forming a new pedestrian street where cars used to travel. The Sagrado Coração de Jesus square was completely paved with drainage paving slabs and an organic strip of flooring that integrates it directly into Parque da Liberdade. Its trees were completely preserved, but their gardens were rearranged from a radial path-inducing structure to individual circular gardens, leaving the pedestrian path freer and more fluid. The square has been fully equipped with new furniture, including benches, garbage cans and large wooden tables that allow multiple uses of the public space, as well as completely new designer equipment, such as the magazine stands and the trapeze bench.