Ciutat Vella and Eixample are two
districts of Barcelona that are significantly different, not only in terms of
their urban morphology but also because of their social composition, their
commercial activity or the role they play in the city as a whole. Within Ciutat
Vella, Raval is, moreover, the neighborhood with the highest percentage of
population at risk of exclusion and the highest number of problems of
coexistence among groups. It is, therefore, where public space has a more significant
role in the articulation of coexistence.
The Folch i Torres square is located on the edge of the Raval, just next to the Eixample, of which it is separated by the Ronda de Sant Pau, halfway between two worlds that are substantially different.
The Folch i Torres square is located on the edge of the Raval, just next to the Eixample, of which it is separated by the Ronda de Sant Pau, halfway between two worlds that are substantially different.
Located in a lot where the
women's prison of Barcelona was located until 1936, it was the object of a
redevelopment at the end of the 1980s. This led to the creation of a large
sandy area, located at the level of the Reina Amàlia street, and a paved
terrace with a dense robinia plantation,
at the level of the Ronda de Sant Pau, about 3 m above the previous one. The
difference between the two levels was saved by a wall that included an
ornamental fountain.
This organization of the space,
quite logical at first glance, had been transformed over the years into a
accumulation of elements where uses were being located based on opportunity
rather than on organizational coherence, so that the basketball court ended literally
next to the children playground, or the petanque court right at the opposite
end of the center for elderly people.
It had also become a segregated
space, which neighbors perceived as Raval’s last frontier. Even if the Eixample is just
across the street, the feeling was that it was extremely far away,
"behind" the wall with the fountain and the wooded mass. To reach it,
it was necessary to take the stairs of Lleialtat Street or a semi-hidden ramp
on one of the sides. The feeling of being next to another world with which
there was little opportunity for dialogue was increasingly intense.
The project reverses the
situation with two fundamental project decisions: the creation of a continuous
topography that saves the gap between Reina Amàlia Street and Sant Pau Street
with a slope of around 3%, and the articulation of a compositional mechanism of
bands that allows organizing the multiplicity of uses with coherence.
This came out through a participatory process in which residents in the area voiced out their points of view and commented of the proposals that were being made. Local authorities were particularly keen on ensuring that the full process was transparent, open to all involved parties and within their planned estimate.
This came out through a participatory process in which residents in the area voiced out their points of view and commented of the proposals that were being made. Local authorities were particularly keen on ensuring that the full process was transparent, open to all involved parties and within their planned estimate.
The objective was to transform
the square into an element of contact between both urban areas and an
opportunity to articulate the various confluences, in order to stop it being a
cul-de-sac and become the gateway to Raval.
Description
Divided into two vaguely
triangular halves, it concentrates the most active areas – children
playgrounds, petanque, circulations ... - near the residential facades of
Lleialtat and Reina Amàlia streets, and creates a quieter area in front of the
facade of the Milà i Fontanals secondary school. The new basketball court that
can be also used for the festive activities of the neighborhood is located near
Ronda Sant Pau.
A great diagonal stepway
-highlighted by lamps of a bigger size than in the rest of the square- connects
the corner of Lleialtat and Reina Amàlia with Ronda de Sant Pau, becoming the
main axis that articulates the new relationship between the Raval and the
Eixample.
Vegetation plays a fundamental
role in the new image of the space through the combination of trees and plants
that bloom at different times of the year. The square thus becomes a changing
scenario throughout the seasons, a calendar of the neighborhood that consolidates
day by day its symbolic aspect as a city space.
Conclusions
The result is a square that opens
to the outside and becomes a gateway to Raval; a space that takes care of the
balance between the various users; where everyone can walk or sit quietly to
chat or read; where multitudinous events can be organized; where the smallest
ones may enjoy inclusive playgrounds, the youngsters a basketball court and the
eldest petanque courts; a space of coexistence where, in short, the various
groups of residents can find their place and interrelate.
Situada en un solar donde hubo la cárcel de mujeres de
Barcelona hasta el año 1936, había sido objeto de re-urbanización a finales de
los años 80. Ésta había dado lugar a un gran espacio de albero, situado a la
cota de la calle de Reina Amàlia, y una terraza pavimentada con una densa
plantación de acacias, situada a la cota de la ronda de Sant Pau, unos 3m por
encima de la anterior. La diferencia entre estos dos niveles se salvaba con un
muro que contenía una fuente ornamental.
Objectivos
El
proyecto revierte la situación con dos decisiones proyectuales fundamentales;
la creación de una topografía continua que salva el desnivel entre la calle
Reina Amàlia y la ronda de Sant Pau con una pendiente de un 3%, y la
articulación de un mecanismo compositivo de franjas que permiten organizar la
multiplicidad de usos con coherencia.
El
proyecto surge de un proceso participativo donde los vecinos pudieron expresar
sus puntos de vista e involucrarse en las propuestas que se planteaban. Las
autoridades locales estuvieron particularmente interesadas en que el proceso
fuera transparente, abierto a todas las partes involucradas y dentro de los
límites presupuestarios previstos.
El
objetivo era transformarla en un punto de contacto entre ambos tejidos urbanos,
en la oportunidad para articular las distintas confluencias, conseguir que deje
de ser un callejón sin salida y se convierta en puerta de entrada al Raval.
Descripción
Dividida
en dos mitades vagamente triangulares, concentra las zonas más activas -juegos
infantiles, petancas, circulaciones…- cerca de las fachadas residenciales de la
calle Lleialtat y de la Reina Amàlia, y crea un área más tranquila delante de
la fachada del instituto Milà i Fontanals. La nueva pista de baloncesto, que
también sirve para las actividades festivas del barrio, se sitúa cerca de la
ronda.
La vegetación juega un papel fundamental en la nueva
imagen del espacio mediante la combinación de árboles y plantas que florecen en
épocas distintas del año. La plaza se convierte así en un escenario cambiante a
lo largo de las estaciones, un calendario del barrio que consolida día a día su
aspecto simbólico como espacio ciudadano.
Conclusiones
Todo esto da lugar a una plaza que se abre al exterior
y se convierte en puerta de entrada al Raval; un espacio que tiene en cuenta el
delicado equilibrio entre los diversos usuarios y donde todo el mundo puede pasear,
sentarse tranquilamente a hablar o a leer; donde se pueden organizar actos
multitudinarios; donde los más pequeños tienen juegos inclusivos, los
adolescentes una pista de baloncesto y los más grandes pistas de petanca; un
espacio de convivencia donde, en definitiva, los distintos colectivos del
barrio pueden encontrar su sitio e interrelacionarse.
Entradas
