Marina del Prat Vermell. Exploring Urban & Architectural Effects of Water‐related Climate Emergency Impacts

Escola Tecnica Superior d'Arquitectura de la Universitat Ramon Llull - La Salle, Barcelona

Project idea

The project suggests a new way of living, a housing project with the facilities and outdoor urban area, for an existing industrial zone in Barcelona, taking into account one of the most relevant issues of the climate change. The project explores ways of creating a multi-functional, progressively changing, attractive, and creative neighborhood that would have it's own identity.

Project description

PART I. Mapping. Visual & Spatial Porosity.
As a part of climate refuge, we mapped the current green spaces, as well as the different building heights that can provide climate refuge through shade and enhanced cooling. By mapping process, we discovered that there is lack of buffer zones and the area is covered in non-functional industrial buildings and warehouses.
PART II. Build Your Own City: A Catalogue.
We Created a set of possibilities of modulated cubes of 4 different sizes, where all have dimensions of multiples of 3, and are organized by a set of different rules. The catalogue also comes equipped with circulation moves, village typologies, textures as well as intersection and opening guides. In the Marina del Prat neighborhood we envision a transformation from the existing industrial area into a mixed use, lively, and sustainable community.

Technical information

PART III. BYOC Catalogue Use. Linear Porosity, Shared Unit.
The multi-functional neighborhood starts to appear, where the level of privacy is increasing linearly in different scales from the smallest space to the most spacious. The aggregation system chosen is the linear porosity type with the continuity of functions and spaces in both, plan and section. In a basic housing unit for different families, 3 X 3 m being the most private (bedrooms, wc), to the shared/common parts of 6 X 6 m (kitchen, dining, living areas, greenhouse, roof terrace and agriculture). In this type of living, the shared space becomes the main circulation space. Further going to the facilities of 9 X 9 m (library, fitness, bar, cafeteria, exhibition area, grocery store, Sunday market, co-working), and the public areas of 12 X 12 m (urban agriculture, farm, gardens). Total built area = 6993 m2

Co-authors

Jackie Liu, Mika Nagar, Karine Bagdasaryan