The Realismo Mágico Park, designed and built by Grupo Argos, the Municipality of Barranquilla, the District Infrastructure Agency, Siembra Más, and Alumbrado Público has been awarded the Excellence in Sustainable Architecture Award - Vidrio Andino

• This cultural space of 10,000 square meters features a plaza and a small theater for various activities, an open-air art gallery, a reading area, a children’s zone, 120 meters of bike lanes, and a circuit of outdoor fitness equipment.
• Since its inauguration in October 2022, over 7,000 people have enjoyed 145 activities related to entrepreneurship, culture, physical and mental health, making the park a prominent place for the community in northern Barranquilla.
• The park’s infrastructure respects the topography and preserves existing trees, creating various urban viewpoints connected by paths and green corridors with native species.
• The design of the Realismo Mágico Park involved community participation and was led by Grupo Argos in collaboration with the ADI – District Infrastructure Agency. In the coming days, the community will be invited to the park to celebrate this important award at a public event presided over by the Mayor of Barranquilla, Jaime Pumarejo.

This park, delivered to the city in 2022, won in the “urban works” category at the III Excellence in Sustainable Architecture Award – Vidrio Andino, presented by the Colombian Society of Architects and the Colombian Council for Sustainable Construction. This award aims to promote sustainability in architecture, recognizing the efforts of designers, developers, and builders to combine construction quality with architectural design, innovation, materials, and environmental and social impact.

“This park was designed and built with the participation of the Buenavista community and the Municipality of Barranquilla. The project reflects our Caribbean identity with innovative, creative, and inclusive spaces, all with a cultural focus. One of the fundamental values of the park, in line with all of Grupo Argos’ urban projects, is the responsible management of wildlife and flora ecosystems, a key contribution to making Barranquilla the first biodivercity in Colombia,” said Daniel Sarabia, Manager of Urbanism and Infrastructure at Grupo Argos.

The Realismo Mágico Park is a public space of 10,000 square meters in northern Barranquilla that preserves existing native species. It features a cultural plaza, a small theater, a reading area, a picnic area, an urban viewpoint, an open-air art gallery, a children’s zone, and over 120 meters of bike lanes.

Since its inauguration, various community-building and engagement strategies have been implemented, including entrepreneurship fairs and free training for over 390 entrepreneurs, as well as free workshops and conferences on mental health. The park also offers free yoga classes three times a week, with nearly 3,000 participants in 2023. In the cultural realm, the park provides an open-air art gallery with works by local artists, a traveling book house for free exchange, and knitting workshops like the Sofía Knitting Club, which has involved around 600 people to date. In total, since its inauguration, the park has hosted 145 activities with the participation of over 7,000 people, promoting a sense of ownership and appropriation of this public space.

The project had a total investment of COP 3.25 billion, with COP 1.85 billion contributed by Grupo Argos and COP 1.4 billion by the Municipality of Barranquilla, allocated for planting and public lighting. This park is part of the network of parks and green corridors built by Grupo Argos to protect native species and create collective spaces for recreation, culture, and sports, contributing to the urban transformation of Barranquilla and improving the quality of life for its residents.

The award it is being recognized with considers criteria of habitability, eco-efficiency, and profitability and was created in 2020 to acknowledge the comprehensive vision of sustainability, good practices, and commitment to housing construction, institutional works, and urban projects that balance social, environmental, and economic needs in Colombian territory.

In the coming days, the community will be invited to the Realismo Mágico Park to celebrate this important award at a public event presided over by Mayor Jaime Pumarejo.