Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The goal of the challenge proposed by BIT Habitat is to come up with an innovative model for the typical paving stone found around the city’s streets, conserving its heritage value and reducing the environmental impact of the production process and transport. Factors to be taken into account include how practically the slab can be reproduced, its scalability, durability and permeability for improving the water cycle in the city.

Proposals must include the research and production required for enough prototype panot slabs to cover an area of 1,000 square metres, plus the certification of the units made. An overall fund of 240,000 euros will be available, with a maximum of 80,000 euros offered to each project chosen.

The project submission period runs from today until 21 April, with the eight best projects to deliver a more detailed proposal in June. The winners will be announced in July, and the chosen designs tested in a public space as part of a pilot project.

The urban challenge to come up with the new paving stone design is part of the Barcelona Superblock project, which seeks to win back public space for citizens, achieve a greener and more sustainable city and promote sustainable mobility.