Expansion of Pignatelli Park in Zaragoza

Drawn up by Héctor Fernández Elorza, the urban development scheme for area G-33-2 of the former Pignatelli reservoirs in Zaragoza proposes to integrate this urban void into the city by expanding Pignatelli Park. The project transforms a 19th-century hydraulic infrastructure into a contemporary public space where water remains the central element, now with a recreational purpose.

The original complex, built to supply water to the south of the city from the Imperial Canal, occupied a 30,000 m² plot with four large open-air reservoirs and various auxiliary buildings. Some of these historical elements – such as the guardhouse, the underground filtration vault, and the cistern with 33 groin vaults – have been preserved and made part of the new premises.

The plan is structured around three areas defined by the footprint of the old reservoirs. The first is configured as a large navigable pond measuring 99 by 41 meters, with di...