Feature Details

Name: Urban Rooms

Description: Urban Rooms is a new identity to Parque de los Pobladores and a gateway to SoFA and Downtown. The Pavilion-Tiendas are simple steel structures that are distributed across the open plaza to configure four ‘urban rooms,’ which together form a series of shading zones and areas for activity. Each steel armature is clad in brightly colored vinyl-coated chain-link systems, to provide shade and texture. Additional shading is provided by a removable triangular fabric canopy that can be suspended under each of the pavilions. The Urban Art Platform is an open stage that will allow for variety of arts and cultural performances and activities. The platform is constructed from a steel frame clad in a vibrant yellow durable, nautical-grade fiberglass grating.To further activate the plaza, custom curtains have been provided to ‘enclose’ the spaces beneath the pavilions. These drapes can be configured in various ways to direct pedestrian circulation in the plaza enabling the transformation of the plaza across time, becoming a market, a gallery, a classroom, or performance space, etc.The surface of the plaza is painted to mitigate the heat produced by the large, previously untreated concrete-slab surface, while demarcating activity and functional areas. The project was funded by a $200,000 National Endowment of the Arts Our Town Grant with additional support provided by ArtPlace America. The City of San José’s Office of Cultural Affairs Public Art Program and Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) collaborated in its creation. District3 Report a concern (408) 793-4330 or publicart@sanjoseca.go