As the pavements in the area of Nam Van Lake have been in use for many years, the finishes have been damaged and there is a lack of shade facilities. The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) plans to carry out optimisation and reorganisation in phases to fully replace the finishes of the pavements and increase greening and leisure facilities, so as to improve the cityscape in the area of Nam Van Lake and bring a new experience to both the public and tourists.
The area of Nam Van Lake has a high volume of pedestrians and is a place where the public do their leisure activities in their daily lives or during holidays and festivals. As the finishes of the pavements in the mentioned road section have been in use for over 20 years, the materials of the finishes have become slippery and cause safety issues for pedestrians. Some of the finishes have become worn out and damaged and required long-term repair. Furthermore, the large-scale ventilation shaft of the underground carpark is located on the pavement, causing pedestrians to fear stepping on a void when they pass by. Therefore, IAM plans to carry out optimisation of the pavements in Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van and nearby roads to replace the finishes with materials that are less slippery to increase safety. In addition, the issue of lack of shade and green facilities will be alleviated, safety hazards of insufficient height of the surrounding barriers will be eliminated and the waterfront scenery and facilities will be improved.
The project will be carried out in two phases. The first phase involves an area of about 3,300 square metres and includes the road section from the bus stop in Praça de Jorge Álvares to the square in front of Lake View Mansion. The finishes of the square will be replaced, green and leisure facilities will be added and more lights will be installed to improve the lighting at night and enhance the overall atmosphere of the square. A glass rain canopy will be added to the round staircase leading to the lower level. In addition, green belts will be used to separate the basement ventilation shaft to reduce the effect of the ventilation shaft on pedestrians. The locations of zebra crossings will also be adjusted to expand the waiting area of traffic islands and change the traffic flow of pedestrians crossing the roads to prevent pedestrians from passing by the ventilation shaft when they cross the street.
The second phase involves an area of about 7,400 square metres and includes the road section from the entrance to Anim’Arte NAM VAN to the Legislative Assembly. In addition to replacing the finishes of pavements and installing a glass rain canopy to the entrances and exits of staircases, trellises providing shade and flower pits will be added along the lakeside to increase the green area in the upper and lower levels. Moreover, as the surrounding barriers of the pavement are not tall enough and cause safety hazards, the old lakeside barriers will be dismantled and replaced with wavy metallic fences with wooden handrails. A suitable number of seats will be also installed along the lakeside to provide shade and a leisurely walking environment for pedestrians, as well as achieve the effect of separation of pedestrians and traffic.
The whole construction area covers a total of about 10,700 square metres and a total length of about 1,000 metres of pavements. The newly added green area of the pavements spans about 1,600 square metres and the lakeside green trellises cover a total area of about 850 square metres. To facilitate the optimisation works, the green belts in the surrounding area will also be reorganised to beautify the whole walking environment. IAM hopes that through fully replacing the finishes of the pavements and increasing the leisure and green facilities in the area, the Nam Van Lake area will become more vibrant, connect the various scenic spots between Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro and Praia Grande and improve the overall cityscape of the Praia Grande area.
