The Barrocal Park, located on the urban boundary of Castelo Branco, is integrated in the 40 hectares of the defined area of the Barrocal, in the classified territories of the UNESCO World Naturtejo Geopark and the Tejo | Tajo Internacional Transboundary Biosphere Reserve.

The origin of this park, with a landscape of granite blocks of very particular shapes, is associated with the installation of a gigantic magmatic mass about 310 million years old. The roughness of these blocks allowed the preservation of their natural character over time, becoming a sanctuary for fauna and flora.

In addition to its enormous natural wealth, it is also noteworthy now for architecture, the result of the vision of the architects of the TOPIARIS studio, to whom the project for the requalification of this unique natural area was attributed. The design of essential infrastructures was part of the objective of minimal impact on the landscape, nature conservation, diversification of leisure, environmental education and the promotion of tourism and cultural dynamics in the region.

In the park, the trails and walkways were designed on the site, adapting to the topographic and geological singularities of each place, which, together with its 7 viewpoints, provide privileged observation platforms, safeguarding sensitive natural areas.

Play Planet was invited by this prestigious landscape architecture studio to develop the Parque do Barrocal playground, exactly with the same assumptions: perfect integration and minimal impact on the landscape.

Thus, 3 large slope slides were developed, which accompany the topography and the walkways, the tallest and longest being about 7m high and 17m long. Likewise, a large climbing and chillout net was designed, with about 9.3×9.6m and 2.5m in height, which is attached to a large natural rock mass. As a complement, a wooden balance bridge was also installed.

This Park’s requalification project, carried out by Topiaris, is an excellent example of how a natural landscape can be preserved in an urban context, having received several international architecture awards such as the Architecture Master Prize in the category of public spaces and the World Architecture News Awards, in the Urban Landscapes category.