Urban experiences: EMBT. Gas Natural´s building, Santa Caterina market and Diagonal-Mar park
Abstract
The tourist route, a mass phenomenon, is a guided, partial tour (induced by someone else). The guides define what should be visited. Yet strolling the streets and discovering requires time. We are at the end of the postcapitalist period; the situationalists’ dérive, getting lost to find a new interpretation of the city are behind us. The city is planned to be visited out of our civilisation’s need to turn itself into a spectacle. This paper explores the relationship between the image of the city and the architecture, to determine what concept of city is implicit – through the architect’s eye – on the project. We based this on a study of three projects of Miralles-Tagliabue, in Barcelona, analysing the city andits transformation through the different experiences.
Full text
Threeurbanexperiences:GasNatural´sbuilding,SantaCaterina marketandDiagonal‐Marpark. ProfessorCarmenEscoda,architect,PhD(UPC),Barcelona. ProfessorLuisBravo,architect,PhD(UPC),Barcelona. One of the architects who has demonstrated great sensitivity in the establishing of relationships with a site´s surroundings, in his dealing of existingtrails,urbantracks,thesuccessfulinclusionofcontextualdataand footprintsofaplace,wouldbeEnricMirallesand BenedettaTagliabue.His plans are likened to tourist guides: they reflect and highlight landmarks, buildings, squares and existent trails. In this text, we will examine the procedures of three interventions to reorganize three emblematic quartersofBarcelonaandseehowthosetransformedthecity,in orderto findouttheirimplicitconceptofthecity.
Respectingfootprints,guidelines,cultural,social,physicalandhistoricalpreexistences. Thecontextisperceivedasanaccumulationofdiverseancomplexelements,allofthemimportantandrevealing. Superpositionofhistoricaltracksisfundamentaltounderstandthedynamicsofthepresentdaycity. SantaCaterinamarket
Theproposal,bycontrast,devisesanattentivesubtractionofbuildings’ piecesthatresultsinanopeningthatwindsitswaythroughthe neighborhoodsinuously,inthemanneroftheoldstreetsandinorganicunderstanding.Itrespects,aswell,thesite’sgrainof constructionandreveals,asittrails,oldarchitectureswhichshallberestoredandcompletedinthenewintervention. SantaCaterina market
SantaCaterina market The weight of the project lies on the footprintsof historical heritage,cultureand the intrincate design of the old winding streets. “Itisconsideredthatsuperpositionofhistoricaltracksarefundamentaltounderstandthedynamicsandconfigurationofthepresentdaycity,soanessential andpreliminarydocumenttakingform,whichisnecessaryforthe projectevolutionaswell.”
SantaCaterinamarket Theoldwallsofthemarket´sperimeteracceptthecontinuativeactbywhichthenewstructureincorporatesandextendsthem,justasthe marketsharesitsspacewiththeruinsofanoldconvent.Thisanswerstoideasofinclusionofelementsbothpresentandpast,infavorof culturalawarenessandthepossibilityofre‐evaluationanddialogue‐ aconceptknownas“presentcontinuous”.
SantaCaterina market
SantaCaterina market
SantaCaterina market
SantaCaterina market WecanseeMiralles´ useofallegoricalimagerywherematerialitemstaketheplaceofideas.InSantaCaterina thisconceptshinesinthe colorfulceramicsroofingthemarket,echoingthecolorsofthefruitandthevegetableswhicharesoldtherewithininthediversestalls.
Diagonal‐MarPark a.‐Branchoftheplaza:awalkinglanewhereparkvisitors fromthecentralareaflowtotheseaandPaseo Marítimo. b.‐Branchofthemanchildhoodandplayground:lifeof manbeginshereathischildhood,aplayground c.‐Taulat street:theparkcomestopauseatthisstreet, wherefromastonishingviewsofthenewDiagonalMar neighborhoodcanbeseen. d.‐Ameanderingwalkwayabovethelake,andthelake underneathinsurprisingforms. e.‐TheMagicMountain:mangoesonforwardin evolutiontohispre‐adolescence.Playgroundwith sinuoustoboggansinabiggreenmountain. f.‐TheLake:awidewaterbasinwithsteelmeandering sculptures,spittingsteamedwaterallaround. g.‐ ThePlaza:aplacewhereneighborsmeetandthe intersectionoftheparkandDiagonalAvenue
Diagonal‐MarPark Miralles createshisownrepertoireofartificialnature.Elementssuchaspergolas,benches,metalandvibrantstructuresthat,withthe everchangingplayoflightandshadow,servetoenrichandenliventhespacesofthepark.Elementsthatthearchitectcalls“ lungo mare”,fortheirsinuousforms
Diagonal‐MarPark InDiagonalMarPark,thoughtheideaofconnectingnewgardenstothebiggestgreenareaofthetown–theseashore‐ could notberealized,anoriginalgreenspaceresultedwhichdeserves avisit.Itservesboththenearbyneighborhoodandthecityas itis‐ astheotherexampleswehavementionedabove‐ alandmarkinitself
GasNatural’sBuilding In1999,GasNaturalconvokedthecontestforthe constructionof its new building. Miralles and Tagliabue´s project,the one that was chosen,was thesingleonenottopropose a conventional tower but a complex volumetricdesign. One which, as a resultof study, succeeded to be, atonce, in touchwiththecompany´s desiredcorporateimage,indialoguewithitsimmediatesurroundingsandwiththelargersignificanceofthecity.
GasNatural’sBuilding
GasNatural’sBuilding
GasNatural’sBuilding Thelargecantileveredbodyissetinparallelwiththeapartmentblocksalsofacingthelane;however,unlikethese,itaffords thepossibilityto completelywalkthroughandforgesvisuallinkswiththelandscapeitinhabits
GasNatural’sBuilding Thedeliberatelyimperfectsurfaceofglassonthefaceofthebuildinginstructsthevibrationoflightintoaparticularlyrichandallusivereflection,which canbeseenallthewayfromthepierofBarcelona,mostremarkablywhenit´s seeminglysetablazeduringsunset.
GasNatural’sBuilding Theofficesinsidehaveequallybeenbuiltwiththeuser´s relationshiptotheseasideandpierareainmind:transparency extendsfromthepavementtothe ceilingofallinteriorspacesandthefaçadeskin,keepingusersinclosetouchwithexternalviews.
GasNatural’sBuilding