MUST team wins award for barrier-free park walking system

A team of four from the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) has been conferred with a first-class award for their design for the Mong Há Hill Municipal Park walking system.
Between July and August, the team participated in the Architectural Concept Design Competition – Barrier-free Walking System for Mong Há Hill Municipal Park, jointly organized by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) and the Architects Association of Macau.
The MUST team consists of an assistant professor, one lecturer and two students.
According to the IAM, winning the prize means that the team will be invited to participate in the Barrier-free Walking System for Mong Há Hill Municipal Park Design Tender.
If the team’s design is selected to become Mong Há Hill’s walking system, the perimeter in question will be transformed into a combination of local and contemporary elements. It will integrate a cowshed cultural space, oyster shell wall, Pombal-style paving and concrete elements.
The core of the MUST design is to make a walking trail that takes walkers on a wander through the different aspects of Macau’s identity: its history and culture, and nature and contemporary urban elements.
Mong Há Hill is the fifth tallest hill on the Macau Peninsula, occupying about 38,560 square meters. The park currently has a central fountain square, observation deck, experimental farm, children’s playground, fitness facilities, health trails, a dog walking area and more.
The park is situated close to high-density residential areas, including Areia Preta, Avenida de Horta e Costa and Fai Chi Kei.
The team’s design aims to enhance the convenience of travel to Mong Há Hill, optimize its connectivity through replanning, and introduce barrier-free access and facilities.
The IAM requested that the designers place two new access points on the hill: one in the south-west of Mong Há Hill at the back of the heritage building to connect to the central fountain of the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, and a second one on the east side.
This barrier-free walking system will create a direct link between the two sides through Mong Há Hill. JZ