Transformative in design, usage, and appearance, a public sports court in Veracruz, Mexico, is now an accessible gathering space to play, laugh, and enjoy la bulla — the joyful noise of everyday life. Conceived by , the project began in June 2020 with the goal of reimagining a neglected 15,000-square-metre recreational area on the city’s north side, once overrun with trash and remnants of incomplete renovations. Uneven topography, poor lighting, and interrupted circulation also made it difficult to understand how to enter the space, recalls architect Miriam Jurado.
Although a sports court already existed, a fragmented spatial language “prevented the area from functioning as a shared and legible public environment.” What neighbours asked for went beyond physical upgrades: a place of positive coexistence — one that could restore a sense of belonging and pride and support daily activities across generations.
Rather than impose a prescriptive master plan, Jurado and her team designed for how residents already moved, gathered and inhabited the site. The intervention, covering approximately 6,000 square metres, includes a reworked entrance sequence, the replacement of a 7-a-side soccer field, and the rehabilitation of an existing basketball court. A 400-square-metre area is dedicated to children, with a playground, administrative module, and public restrooms, while a large portion of the site remains an open field for flag football — a sport deeply rooted in the local community.
One of the site’s initial constraints was grading challenges, which were resolved through a sequence of stepped terraces that gently guide movement across the terrain. From the outset, Jurado notes, the question was simple: “How do we make this place accessible so that everyone can reach it?” By establishing a new flat entry from the lower street — a street closed to constant traffic — it offers a safer and more natural point of arrival.
Today, La Bulla supports a range of uses. There are mobile storage modules — what Jurado likens to a “magician’s box” — that hold books, board games and art supplies. An adjacent playground, designed in collaboration with an industrial designer, features universally accessible elements that allow children with different abilities to participate alongside others.
“Accessibility was never understood as a single technical solution, but as a way of shaping the everyday experience of the park,” she shares. The design also accounts for the realities of daily life: parents navigating strollers, caregivers managing multiple children, and older adults seeking places to sit and observe.
Material choices for La Bulla were informed by the site itself, while vegetation acts as both an environmental and social strategy. Durable urban furniture by is distributed throughout, with seating selected to minimize heat gain in direct sunlight. The sports courts and concrete surfaces have received protective coatings, while antibacterial paint has been applied to the walls. Another important element was shading. Existing trees were preserved, while the team introduced fast-growing neem trees, a species known for its resilience in coastal conditions, natural insect-repelling properties, and noninvasive root structure.
While the project has achieved what past renovations could not, the most memorable element lies in its appearance. Developed in collaboration with , the bold palette reflects the music, dancing and layered rhythms of the community. “We needed happiness because of the pandemic too,” Jurado adds.
Today, it’s not only safer due to improved lighting and clear circulation but also because of its constant use, strengthening community ties and restoring a sense of collective ownership of the space.
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