Personnel of the Ministry of Public Works discuss plans for redesign of El Helicoide. Photo: MPPOP.
As part of the policies for the renovation of public spaces for the social well-being of the Venezuelan population, the Ministry of Public Works launched a plan of comprehensive transformation of the infrastructure of El Helicoide, a former detention center.
The details were reported by the head of the ministry, engineer Juan JosĂ© RamĂrez, who explained that following the instructions of Acting President Delcy RodrĂguez, “the national government, through the Ministry of People’s Power for Public Works, has formally begun civil engineering work for the comprehensive transformation of El Helicoide.”
He added that this ambitious project will be executed across the 102,000 square meters of the structure to restore its historical and architectural value, consolidating it as a benchmark of Venezuelan engineering.
“The fundamental objective of this work is, as the president emphasized, to convert the site into a social, sports, cultural, and commercial center. This new vision is focused on providing quality spaces for the surrounding communities, fulfilling the premise of placing State infrastructure at the direct service of citizens,” Minister RamĂrez stated.
In a first phase, the opening up of strategic spaces and a hydraulic cleanup of the structure are planned. In addition, a high-power LED system will be installed in the emblematic Buckminster Fuller Geodesic Dome. With this lighting, a historic landmark of the city be restored, which will also symbolize the beginning of a new era of peace and progress in the heart of Caracas.
RamĂrez highlighted the speed with which planning has advanced, noting that after carrying out the architectural survey and consulting with the community and the police sector, the project was approved in less than a month. With the start of the execution phase, the ministry is committed to delivering a large-scale civil infrastructure that meets the technical and social standards required by the government.
El Helicoide to become recreation and commercial center
On January 30, Acting President Delcy RodrĂguez announced from the Supreme Court of Justice, during her participation in the Opening of the 2026 Judicial Year, that the former detention center El Helicoide “will be converted into a social, sports, cultural, and commercial space for our police and those who live in the areas surrounding the site in Caracas.”
She highlighted that this measure is part of the relaunch of the Guardians of the Homeland Mission, which includes socioeconomic assistance programs for police officers.
(Diario VEA) by Carlos Batatin
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/CB/SC
Cameron Baillie is an award-winning journalist, editor, and researcher. He won and was shortlisted for awards across Britain and Ireland. He is Editor-in-Chief of New Sociological Perspectives graduate journal and Commissioning Editor at The Student Intifada newsletter. He spent the first half of 2025 living, working, and writing in Ecuador. He does news translation and proofreading work with The Orinoco Tribune.
