LandscapingThe restoration of the campus green areas is based on Villanueva’s original landscaping project: both its plans and specifications allowed the recovery of magnificent different areas. 6.870 trees were pruned and received phytosanitary treatments, 79 trees, and Venezuelan Chaguaramo type palms were transplanted, 67.134 m² of grass and ornamental plants were planted, and a new 1.590 ml irrigation system was installed.Two views of the restored landscaping of the “No Man’s Land”. The green area adjacent to the School of Economics bordered by covered walkways.The recovered vegetation follows the covered hallways paths “Chaguaramos checkerboard”The leafy “Forest” designed by Villanueva to complement the Student Housing.7. The School of Architecture and Urban Planning outdoor garden which until 1984 was a parking lot for students.8. One of the interior gardens of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning with a polychrome kinetic sculpture by Jesús Soto.9. The School of Engineering Complex Green Areas.10. The restored landscaping surrounding the Covered Hallway that connects the School of Sanitary Engineering with the Hydraulics and Materials Testing Laboratories.11. The internal garden which is surrounded by different teaching and research areas of the School of Sanitary Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering. CUC’s LandscapingThe project for the Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas has 95 hectares of green areas.Architect Villanueva, as shown in this plan drawn by him, planned the landscaping of the entire CUC, detailing plants by species, size, and color, as well as their location.Indicative landscaping plan proposed for the surroundings of the Aula Magna air conditioning cooling tower, showing the characteristics of the required plants This other example shows a plan with the proposed scheme for a green area next to the entrance of the School of Architecture, titled: Colors and Gardens, elaborated by Villanueva jointly with the plastic artist Victor Valera. LANDSCAPING TO THE EAST OF THE AULA MAGNA. “NO MAN’S LAND”.The area known as “No Man’s Land” in Villanueva’s plan of the University City Institute (ICU) is indicated with the upper title: “Floor in the Campus”. It is a wide and organic void with a North-South orientation and denies any axial intention of East-West direction. It is formed on its eastern edge by Walkway n. 5; to the west by the back of the Aula Magna and the Concert Hall; and to the south, it is delimited by the building of the Central Library’s reading room. To the North it offers a majestic view of El Avila or Waraira Repano mountain, it connects with the cultural complex by its upper West edge and with the green area known as El Bosque to the East. In the 1953 plan: “Urbanism to the South of the Aula Magna” (Plan Nº U – 22-A. CUC-ICU / COPRED-UCV Collection), corresponding to this great void, there are indications for the floor texture in terms of materials, type of joints between cement panels, and their orientation combined with the floor of the Plaza Cubierta as a way of integrating both spaces. There are also directives for the specific location of trees and lawns. It is stated that it is not a place designed for a dense mass of vegetation, on the contrary, what is intended is a large void for social gathering and cultural exchange purposes and also a space for contemplation of the “Synthesis of the Arts” of the campus and the surrounding landscape.This space was initially approached with a thorough cleaning and weeding of invasive grasses. Then, phytosanitary treatment was carried out with fertilization, pruning and removal of parasitic species from the existing perimeter trees (Plumeria rubra, Handroanthus rosea, Handroanthus chrysanthus, Samanea saman, Hura crepitans). The land was scarified and the existing drains were located to check if they were functioning. The land was shaped, lowering the soil level seven centimeters below the surfaces, and the land was leveled according to the existing drains. An irrigation system was installed for the lawns and a layer of five centimeters of black fertilized soil was placed, preparing the land for planting grasses, in this case Zoycia emerald grass.Finally, the concrete walkways and stone surfaces were cleaned with a hydro jet. A path leading to the Plaza Cubierta was reforested with ten Pink Trumpet Tree (Handroanthus rosea), replacing those that were planted in the original project and died. Monumental lighting was placed on the huge Hitachi Tree (Samanea saman) to illuminate it at night, as well as the artwork around there: a mural installed on the curved enclosure of the East facade of the Concert Hall (Untitled 1954. Material: Enameled ceramic. Author Mateo Manaure) and the sculpture (Maternity 1954. Material: Patinated bronze and granite base. Author Baltasar lobo), that in this large central space of the campus become integrated to the architecture within the concept of the “Synthesis of the Major Arts”.EXTERNAL GARDENS SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES. “THE CHECKERBOARD OF CHAGUARAMOS”.The vegetation volume distributed in the form of a board within a rectangle, known as “Checkerboard of Chaguaramos”, in the Plan “Gardens between Housing and Humanities” (n. 36-A-1-1-B. Esc. 1:500. Year 1954. Collection CUC-ICU / COPRED-UCV), was structured with the planting of forty-six native palms of the Venezuelan Chaguaramo type (Roystonea venezuelana). From this plan can be seen that the scheme and the planting carried out for the Caracas campus, consisted of palms and low trees, with greater emphasis on the quantity of the latter. According to the revised aerial photographs from 1958 and 1966, the project was fully implemented and executed on the site. However, when we visited the site, we observed that it underwent a major modification in the late ‘70s of the 20th century when a large part of this green space was placed in the building of the School of Economics and Social Sciences (FACES) next to the concrete esplanade of the civic plaza and the flagpole.The environmental recovery works of this iconic element of Caracas’ campus began with the cleaning of the tree pits and the removal of weeds. Subsequently, ten Chaguaramos palm trees were planted to replace those that died, some were transplanted from other parts of the campus that had grown in inadequate sites and others were brought from greenhouses. Preventive phytosanitary treatment was carried out by removing the ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata) from the thin trunks of the palm trees, as well as the dry leaves.In addition, the soil was fumigated with a systemic insecticide-nematicide, as well as fertilized. To recover the original design and image of the checkerboard in its green spaces, a five-centimeter layer of fertilized black soil was applied, preparing the ground for the planting of grasses, in this case, Emerald grass (Zoycia emerald). A vegetal barrier was placed on the north side, with a bushy plant of the Sansevieria trifasciata type to protect the intense pedestrian traffic that debilitated the vegetal species and with the purpose of directing pedestrians to the walkways designed for this purpose by Villanueva. Monumental lighting was proposed.GARDENS OF THE RESIDENTIAL STUDENT AREA. “EL BOSQUE”Connected to residential buildings in the original plan, we find the plan: “Student Housing and Gardens” (Plan n. 17-1A-U6 of 1951), made for the implementation of the landscaping known as “El Bosque”, located to the south of the residential buildings and the dining hall. Here it is possible to observe a system of walkways flanked by tree-lined areas, with botanical indications and specifications of trees and bushes, in addition to certain general recommendations that provide criteria for the height and color of the vegetation to be planted.This extensive and dense green area suffered a situation of deferred maintenance for many years, both in terms of services, as well as the absence of phytosanitary treatment of urban trees, which permitted the large-scale proliferation of parasites such as Phthirusa sp, and epiphytes such as Tillansia recurvata, as well as a fungus known as “Witches’ Broom”, most of which were found in the emblematic trees of the university city. We also found the loss of axes and grids of Venezuelan Chaguaramo type palms (Roystonea venezuelana). The phytosanitary treatment was carried out by eliminating all parasitic vegetation; manually in the case of Tillandsia recurvata and in the case of the hemiparasitic plant Phthirusa sp with soft or severe pruning depending on the case. The area was divided into 24 sectors with a total of 341 tree species, of which 320 required phytosanitary care. These include 10 total removals of dry dead standing trees and 7 removals of existing tree stumps for future replacement.In order to replace the trees lost over time, the “Bosque” was reforested with a total of sixty-five trees of the following species: 5 Venezuelan Chaguaramo type palms (Roystonea venezuelana); 1 Flamboyant tree (Delonix regia); 5 Plumeria trees (Plumeria rubra); 6 Cordia alliodora trees; 10 Verawood trees (Vulnesia arborea); 5 Queen’s crepe-myrtle trees (Lagerstroemia speciosa); 10 Jacaranda trees (Jacaranda mimosifolia D.Don); 15 Pink Trumpet Tree (Handroanthus rosea); 5 Araguaney trees (Handroanthus chrysanthus) and 3 Palo de María trees (Triplaris caracasana Cham).EXTERIOR GARDEN OF THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING. OLD PARKING LOTThe large square-shaped external garden of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning was originally intended for the parking lot of the faculty and originally had only Phoenix reclinata and Phoenix dactylifera palms on its perimeter islands. It had undergone a transformation in the seventies (20th century) when the parking lot was drilled to plant eight Indian Walnut trees (Aleurites moluccana) in two parallel lines combined with the parking stalls, and in 1984 it was completely converted into a green area (Colors and Gardens Plan n. 29 – A – 01 B. ICU / COPRED-UCV).The recovery works of the external green areas of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (FAU) began with the removal of the accumulated vegetation. As previously mentioned, this large garden in the original project was a parking lot and when it was converted into a green area, soil and grass were placed without removing the asphalt layer and the drains were covered. This caused the garden to function as a large planter without the possibility of draining the water that was deposited there. At the beginning of the work, the eight surface drainage pipes were recovered and the land was shaped with topography work so that the water could drain without getting clogged. The land was scarified and the soil level was lowered seven centimeters below the surface. The irrigation system for the lawns was installed with a five-centimeter layer of black fertilized soil, preparing the land for the planting of grasses, in this case, Emerald grass (Zoycia emerald). Finally, the concrete walkways and stone surfaces were cleaned with a hydrojet.We removed the dry trunks of some species whose roots were affected by fungus as a result of floods and filtrations, causing their death. In the west facade green area, at the foot of the two-tone blue mosaic mural (Untitled, 1956) by Alejardro Otero, five adult palms were removed and transplanted; four Venezuelan Chaguaramo type palms (Roystonea venezuelana) and a volume of Phoenix Palm (Phoenix reclinata), which due to lack of maintenance germinated and grew into a large mass that caused damage with its roots to the services, and its foliage, which, when resting on the mural, caused damage due to friction and deterioration. The Roystonea venezuelana was relocated in the gardens of the Engineering Faculty Complex, restoring a lost axis of the same species, and the Phoenix reclinata was transplanted in the South West corner of the same garden. Two fruit trees of the Melicoccus bijugatus type were also removed. These trees grew attached to the building and the hallway, damaging the infrastructure (basement walls) with their roots and strongly infected with termite nests (Nasutitermes spp). In addition, near the reinforced concrete roofed hallways, the roots entered through the cracks in the concrete, making it fragile and vulnerable.Then, we treated all the trees in the area (Handroanthus rosea, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Aleurites moluccana, Pithecellobium dulce, Ceiba pentandra, Mangifera indica) some of them were healthy, others where infected with the possibility of recovery. On those was performed the appropriate phytosanitary treatment, eliminating the parasitic vegetation. In the case of ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata) it was done manually and in the case of the hemiparasitic plant Phthirusa sp with soft and severe pruning depending on the case. For reforestation, were planted two Aleurites moluccana trees to replace those that died, and ten Plumerias rubras to reinforce the original vegetation.From the artistic proposal of Victor Valera and Carlos Raul Villanueva we recovered and jointly developed garden “I” (Original Plan n. 29 A 49 Date 1-10-56. ICU / COPRED-UCV), located to the north of the previously described space, and garden “J” (Original Plan n. 29 A 50. Date 1 – 10 – 56. ICU / COPRED-UCV) located on the first floor of the building with classrooms and the cafeteria. This activity included the demolition of deteriorated concrete remains that were poured without criteria on the hexagonal and rectangular concrete slabs that as a whole define and organize the garden as a landscape proposal integrated into the murals of the plastic artist. After that, we proceeded with the leveling of the garden slabs and soil. The irrigation system for the lawns was installed, placing a five-centimeter layer of fertilized black soil, and preparing the ground for planting grasses, in this case, Zoycia emerald grass in the sunny areas and Zebrina pendula in the shady areas. Two Washingtonia palms (Washingtonia robusta Wendland) were cleaned of dry branches and fumigated. In addition, we treated a Brazilian Guava tree (Acca sellowiana) and a Taparón tree (Couroupita guianensis Aubl) with a pesticide. The area was reforested with a Guayabita del Peru tree (Psidium cattleianum).GREEN AREAS OF THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING COMPLEXThe gardens of the School of Engineering complex are part of the guidelines for the empty spaces of the campus. This is where the parking lots are located: between the eight lower buildings that integrate it with green areas connected by covered walkways (Plan 25-A-11). At the end of the 1980s (20th century), most of the parking lots were converted into sports fields or green areas, and soil and grass were laid without removing the asphalt layer. The restoration work began with the removal of the accumulated weeds, scarifying the land and lowering the soil level seven centimeters below the surfaces. The irrigation system for the lawns was installed with a five-centimeter layer of black fertilized soil, preparing the ground for the planting of grasses, in this case Emerald grass (Zoycia emerald). Finally, the concrete walkways and stone surfaces were cleaned with a hydrojet.The gardens have important arboreal vegetation that is part of the collection of the Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas. We also found some fruit trees that grew spontaneously and developed very close to buildings, seriously compromising the property and the passage of people, so the initial approach was of emergency. We identified large trees in the decomposition process, such as the Bucare or Erytrina Poepoiniana species, which grow in height and mass in a short time, have a short life, and collapse at the end of its life cycle. It was necessary to remove a huge decaying trunk in the vaulted access, between the Petroleum Engineering and Electrical Engineering buildings, since its large branches began to collapse spontaneously. Then, around 65 large trees of the Caobo species (Swiettenia macrophilla) were pruned and treated for parasites. They were part of an important group of trees in Villanueva’s tree-planting proposal for the 1950s.The following species also received phytosanitary treatment: 5 Palo de María trees (Triplaris caracasana Cham), 3 Pink Trumpet Tree (Handroanthus rosea), 2 Hitachi Tree (Samanea saman), 5 cockspur coral tree (Erytrina Poepoiniana), 25 Hawaiian orchid tree (Bauhinia purpurea), 1 Kapok (Ceiba pentandra), 3 Manila tamarind trees (Pithecellobium dulce), 5 Mango trees (Mangifera indica), 4 Indian walnut (Aleurites moluccana), 5 traveller’s palm trees (Ravenala madagascariensis), 25 Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia), 5 Venezuelan royal palm (Roystonea venezuelana), 4 Washintonia palms, among others.As for the palm collection in these gardens, they were found to be affected by the palm worm (Brassolis sophorae) and specifically the Roystonea venezuelana due to the massive nesting of a bird from the south of the country introduced by wildlife trafficking in the city of Caracas, known as the blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararauna). For these reasons, there has been a significant loss of axes and reticules of Roystonea venezuelana, from Carlos Raúl Villanueva’s original landscape design. In this case, eleven dead trunks of this palm were removed (previously verifying the absence of nests) to replant this native species in order to restore this important axis and preserve the landscape proposal. A total of 18 Roystonea venezuelana palms were reforested to replace the dead palms. The high branches of the golden cane palms (Dypsis lutences) located around the perimeter of the covered walkways were pruned to prevent their fruits from obstructing the drains and causing water to accumulate on the undulating surface of the ceiling. In the “Gardens between the School of Engineering and Humanities” plan of the North courtyard of the Basic School of Engineering building (Plan 36-A-1-1c), Villanueva proposed the planting of medium-sized trees in the tree pits, which is why reforestation was carried out with the planting of 20 Bay Rum trees (Pimenta racemosa).CENTRAL GREEN AREA EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE INSTITUTE AND ANATOMICAL INSTITUTEThe academic project that gave rise to the first axial layout of the campus, which started from the University Clinical Hospital combined with the first two medical institutes, was reflected in the walkways’ design for the green area between the Anatomical Institute and the Institute of Experimental Medicine. This was initially conceived within a rigid and symmetrical concept (Plan n.16 – G – 15. CUC-ICU / COPRED-UCV Collection), which was modified after construction, and later replaced by a completely different and organic one (Plan 16 – G – 15 B1. CUC-ICU / COPRED-UCV Collection). Connected to the external areas of the Anatomical Institute there is a sculpture by Francisco Narváez entitled La Ciencia, 1950. It is located on the terrace of the second floor and can be seen from the gardens, along with another sculpture by the same artist located symmetrically on the terrace of the Experimental Medicine Institute building, titled La Educación, 1950. On the first floor at the entrance of the same building, there is a mural by Francisco Narváez, untitled, 1951.The restoration activities performed in the gardens outside the perimeter of the medical buildings of the Institute of Experimental Medicine (IME) and the Anatomical Institute (IA) began with the pruning of large branches of 2 Jabillo trees (Hura Crepitans). Their height and foliage growth exceeded the north facade of the IME and covered the roofs of both buildings, obstructing the drains and their functioning. Simultaneously, the green areas were trimmed to remove the tree seedlings that began to spontaneously germinate and grow in the sewers and drains, compromising the services functioning of both buildings.It was very important to clean up by pruning the trees of the species Castaño (Pachira insignis), whose branches were very close to the sculptures of Narváez and caused, due to the humidity, the alteration of the appearance of the Cumarebo stone with which they were elaborated.It was necessary to level the free-form concrete slabs that form the north walkway of the central garden between the two buildings. The ground was scarified and the soil level was lowered seven centimeters below the surfaces. The irrigation system for the lawns was installed with a five-centimeter layer of black fertilized soil, preparing the ground for the planting of grasses, in this case, Emerald grass (Zoycia emerald). Finally, the concrete walkways and stone surfaces were cleaned with hydro jet to restore the proposed landscape image of this large green space.It was necessary to prune the two large masses of bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), located in the adjacent green area on both sides of the medical cafeteria, whose tall growth and dry branches represented a high risk of collapse and could cause damage to the hallway’s roof or to pedestrians.CONCLUSIONIt is important to understand that a large-scale and intensive maintenance intervention in the extensive green areas of the campus generates a great visual impact. Normally this type of work is done in stages, with preventive maintenance pruning or the removal of dead species, which, if not done exhaustively, could cause the loss of the plant mass in the future. It is not an easy task to maintain the balance between preserving the building complex with UNESCO heritage status (2000), as well as Villanueva’s original landscaping project with its trees and the fauna associated with this vegetation, and ensuring the safety of the people who pass through the campus. It is necessary to work as a team with a global and integral vision with scientific-technical criteria. The main objective of this work is focused on rescuing the urban trees planted in the 1950s in Villanueva’s original landscaping project, as shown in the ICU plans, and to create the conditions for their maintenance to be sustainable over time.Architect Dr. Aguedita Coss