Visitors' center of the Ybycui Park of Paraguay

By law, parks are the only preservation areas in my home country, Paraguay. Still, these parks -including the Ybycui National Park- are facing environmental degradation (Sanjurjo, 1989). Misusage and overuse of these parks, due to lack of environmental awareness, greatly contribute to this situation.This creative project consists of the design of the Visitors' Center of the Ybycui National Park of Paraguay. Environmental education is one of the main issues addressed in this project. This Visitors' Center serves as a place to welcome visitors, to promote the park and its appropriate uses for environmental preservation purposes, and to increase environmental awareness in the country.The project will address issues of land analysis, architectural elements in the landscape (signage, fencing, seating furniture, etc.) within this national park setting, and major concentration in the Visitors' Center design. The functional program of the Visitors' Center will be oriented towards recreational and educational activities in both outdoor and indoor settings at the public and private levels. The master plan of the Ybycul National Park "Plan de Manejo y Desarrollo Conceptual del Parque Nacional Ybycui" (1975), will be my guide for the future development of the park.The Visitors' Center will be an important part of the park, for it will serve as the filter through which most of the visitors will pass. This entry will greatly influence their impression of and respect for the park.Department of ArchitectureThesis (M. Arch.