Natural pool and path in Praia do Canal
Praia do Canal, a beach in the south of Portugal, very appreciated by surfers, is particularly marked by the tidal phenomenon. In this unique place, the project proposal includes two significant interventions aimed at manifesting those natural processes that mark the place.
A pedestrian path along the side of the hill connects the end of the road at the top with the beach at the bottom. This path is immersed in the mountainside to protect against the strong wind conditions of the area and to force the view upwards. In fact, the site, away from artificial light sources, is great for nighttime stargazing. At each change in direction of the path, a platform offers a new viewpoint towards the landscape, once towards the valley, and once towards the ocean.
At the peak of the valley, two retention walls are oriented, one parallel to a pre-existing structure and the other perpendicular to the slope of the beach. These structural elements mark the limits of a natural pool that holds the tidal waters, indicates their passage, and allow contact with the water outside the violence of the waves. The existing stones arranged to create two inlets in the basin with different depths, filter the ocean waters. The levels that the water reaches according to the tides offer a constant change of experience.
