Results of the Barcelona Superblocks design competition

The Barcelona Superblocks programme starts to take shape. During this term of office, Barcelona City Council will begin transforming the public space of the Eixample with a series of priority actions that will turn the streets of Consell de Cent, Rocafort, Comte Borrell and Girona into green hubs. In addition, four large squares will also be created. Each square, of about 2,000 m2, will be located at the intersection between two green hubs, occupying space that was previously reserved for vehicles: Consell de Cent with Rocafort, Comte Borrell, Enric Granados and Girona.

With the aim of encouraging a technical and professional debate on this new public space model, the City Council held two design competitions, one for squares and one for green hubs. The goal was to find an innovative response to the need for a new type of public space that would really put people first and integrate natural processes, greenery and biodiversity, optimising resources, with simple and rational solutions. Detailed below are the winning proposals chosen by the jury of the competition from among all the entries submitted (40 for the green hub competition and 46 for the squares).

It is also worth noting that, in the case of the green hub competition, the winning proposals are not definitive. The four winning teams will now have to work together to draw up the Green Hub Public Space Model Document. In addition, in all cases the teams will be told the results of the participatory process currently in progress, including the contributions made by both entities and local residents, aimed at improving each project.

The plan is to have the eight final projects ready by February next year, with the goal of commencing the works in June 2022 and completing them in the first quarter of 2023.

Further information:

Results of the square design competition

Consell de Cent / Rocafort Square

El parlament de les espècies  [The Parliament of Species]

Estudi08014. Arquitectura, ciutat, territori, S.C.P.P.

The jury saw this as a strong proposal that will create a large square-shaped natural space in the centre, measuring 1,000 m2 , with a concentric arrangement based on the uses to which the square may be put at any given time.

The floor of this permeable central space is made of gravel, and it contains a pleasant area for relaxation and a green area both on the surface (flower beds) and in terms of trees. Around the central area is a concrete slab, with thoroughfares emerging around it.

The ecological restoration strategy is based on a good approach, as it provides for permeable floors with plants and shade forming a general area aimed at reducing temperatures and reducing pollution.

‘El parlament de les espècies’ is the winning proposal for this square. The jury was also impressed by the proposal ‘De.Encreuament.A.RETROBAMENT’ , in second place, and  ‘Més Cerdà’ , in third place.

Consell de Cent / Comte Borrell Square

L’illa de les illes [The Block of Blocks]

UTE Clara Solà-Morales + Albert Casas Álvarez + Frederic Villagrasa Álvarez

The proposal consists of a square with a concentric arrangement and a permeable and naturalised square in the middle containing a relaxation area with 16 trees that create a pleasant atmosphere. An area is made available around it for the local uses and activities that are already carried out at this location.

It is a very clean and transparent proposal from a visual point of view, and its composition makes it very flexible in terms of its ability to accommodate the various uses to be carried out in it.

‘L'illa de les illes’ is the winning proposal for this square. The jury was also impressed by the proposal ‘Topos 2’,  in second place, and ‘2021’ , in third place.

Consell de Cent / Enric Granados Square

Jardín ILLA [BLOCK Garden]

UTE GPO Ingeniería y Arquitectura, S.L.U. + LAND LAB, laboratorio de paisajes, S.L.

The proposal involves the creation of a large garden in this already fairly traffic-free area currently used for commercial purposes, boosting neighbourhood life with play and relaxation areas and, above all, much more greenery.

The design takes advantage of the fact that one of the façades on the square is the seminary building, which already has a garden, which it imitates by creating an asymmetrical proposal that finally provides a pleasant, larger and more natural space. This will be part of a series of green spaces and biodiversity running from the university gardens to Plaça de Letamendi, through the seminary and this new square.

‘Jardín ILLA’ is the winning proposal for this square. The jury was also impressed by the proposal ‘Reconciliar’, in second place, and ‘El verd sota els panots’, in third place.

Consell de Cent / Girona Square

Superescocell [Super Tree Pit]

UTE Under Project Lab, S.C.P. + BOPBA Arquitectura, S.L.P.

Based on the idea that tree pits are the smallest natural unit of the Eixample, the project magnifies this element as a metabolic ecosystem that needs to be boosted, and it adds it wherever it can all over the square, always taking into account that there is a Metro station underneath. For this reason, it puts more of the green and permeable part on the mountain side, an arrangement with good results in terms of sunshine. Furthermore, this makes it possible to provide for other uses, such as relaxing or playing in the areas with fewer plants.

It defines the greenery very well and proposes abundant plant life, although the square can be crossed on foot. It also envisages a good relationship with ground floor uses.

‘Superescocell’  is the winning proposal for this square. The jury was also impressed by the proposal ‘Recollir, infiltrar, integrar’, in second place, and ‘Cercle Cívic’ , in third place.

Results of the green hub design competition

The jury of the Barcelona Superblock green hub competition has chosen from among all the proposals submitted the four projects that can best represent what 21st-century streets should look like. However, the proposals submitted by these teams are not definitive. The winner of the first place will now be responsible for drafting, in collaboration with the other winners chosen by the jury and under the coordination of the Barcelona Superblock Technical Office, the Green Hub Public Space Model Document, which will lay down the terms for the development and execution of future green hub projects.

Now, each team will draw up the project for the green hub assigned to it: Consell de Cent for the winner, Carrer Girona for the team in second place, Carrer Rocafort for the third place, and Carrer Comte Borrell for the fourth-place team. In order to make all new green hubs consistent with each other and ensure they provide continuity in terms of urban planning, future redevelopment projects will be bound by the content of the model document. 

Premises for the new street / green hub model

The new green hubs for the 21st century involve reclaiming the streets for people: more family life and local shopping, and less noise and pollution. These are the premises on which the new green hub model must be based:

Caminar des del centre [Walking from the Centre]

UTE b67 Palomeras Arquitectes, SLP + Cierto Estudio, SCCLP

 

1st place

The jury highlighted the wish to reclaim the streets for residents and the concept of walking from the city centre with a new pedestrian approach and experience.

It is based on a concept of a single, spacious and versatile space and the wish to recover the ambience and landscape of the city’s old streets. The planting of a new line of trees which will enable the reorganisation of the space, as well as the emergence of a new relaxation area, are also worth noting.

This proposal pays particular attention to the value of ground floors in relation to the physical arrangement of the street and its operation, paying particular attention to public and commercial activities. And, finally, the jury highlighted the sensitivity of the drawing, design and image.

De SÒL a SOL (invariants i variants) [From DAWN to DUSK (changing and unchanging)]

UTE Esteyco-Caceres Arquitectura + Estudi Martí Franch Arquitectura del Paisatge + Nablabcn Studio

 

2nd place

The aim is to achieve a vision of the entire Consell de Cent hub and the distinction between the different types of space present throughout the hub: squares, intersections, interchange sections, quiet-garden sections and mosaic sections.

The definition of a new street arrangement was also highly rated, with unchanging (fixed) and changing (variable) criteria; the importance of the subsoil, permeability and plants’ ability to affect structure; and the global vision of urban greenery, grouping it all together.

Giraverd [Green Spin]

UTE González Cavia y Cabrera Arquitectura Urbanismo y Paisaje, SL + Fabric Office, SCCLP

 

3rd place

The jury considered the break in the longitudinal axis that causes a reversal in the vehicle-pedestrian hierarchy relevant, particularly when you reach intersections, as well as the different concentrations of greenery in the wider parts of chamfers.

Galeries de vida [Life Passages]

UTE GPO Ingeniería y Arquitectura, S.L.U. + AGENCE TER, SARL + Ana Coello de Llobet, S.L.P.

 

4th place

The jury found the concept of three differentiated ecosystems split between the living ecosystem, the social ecosystem and the service ecosystem particularly relevant. The idea of adding a green canopy on the sunny side of the street was also deemed noteworthy.

Furthermore, the specific definition of the greenery to be used, the choice of species and the definition of flexible spaces also impressed the jury. The specific uses to be given to the flexible spaces will be established based on the participation processes and taking local requirements into account.

Panot 2.0

UTE Vora Arquitectura SCPP – DOPEC, SL.

 

SPECIAL MENTION FROM THE JURY

The competition’s jury also appreciated the "Panot 2.0” proposal, for the way it creates a very flexible system that organises uses with the different utilisation of the same paving, and for the interesting reflection on materials involving the paving’s resolution with variations of a panot 20x20,

While the project was not one of the winning four, the jury decided to award it an honorary mention without financial reward.