Linear neighbourhood

linear neighbourhood

Peadar McGrath Architect

Linear Neighbourhood Context The year is 2013, and the city of Barcelona wants to shed its reputation as one of the cities which has a lowest ratio of green space per capita in the world by creating a big linear park that will link the city centre with its outskirts.

This linear park will offer pedestrians a green path that will (hypothetically) allow them to reach the Pyrenees on foot.

Site Upon visiting the site we were astonished to discover that the park is already here...

Indeed, having been forgotten by the local authorities for many years, the site has become a green zone covered by lush vegetation. This green stronghold that has managed to resist heroically the invasion of bulldozers and cranes could be the starting point for the process of “renaturalization� the city is currently aiming for.

The site is located at the north end of the future linear park, the geographical point at which this green area could finally expand to become a vast natural space. Our proposal conceives the site as an extension of the linear park, thus the project could become the head of the tail...

The site, which is currently used by the nearby

Location Barcelona, Spain Architect Peadar McGrath Brief Mixed use self-sufficient urban block Gross External Area 91,800 m2 Site Area 53,000 m2 Date 2013

residents as an improvised park, offers an excellent opportunity to read the landscape.

Many different landmarks, from both the urban and natural landscapes, can be seen from the site. The project could therefore become a tool for reading the surrounding territory.

Strategy We intend to exploit the pre-existing features of the site. Taking the existing green space as a starting point, the rest of the site becomes a park. The existing carpark shall also be recycled to become an underground car park covered by trees and vegetation. The built mass is placed along the periphery of the site: one single building will contain the required programme.

In terms of energy efficiency, one big building is better than many small buildings. Firstly, with one single building we reduce the surface to volume ratio. Secondly, if instead of having different buildings each of which have their own power supply working at specific times, we have many different uses under the same power generating roof, these can be supplied by it at different times. Last but not least, by grouping diverse uses we can promote the concept of energetic solidarity: if two neighbours have different energy consumption time patterns (i.e. one of them works during the daytime, the other works night shifts), they can both feed off each other’s heat if they share the same envelope.

This single building will also have to address the demands of the surrounding urban fabric.

In our site analysis, we identified three distinct zones surrounding the site, each of which have very specific needs. Baró de Viver is an isolated residential quarter which has practically become a ghetto, it needs to improve its connection to the rest of the city. Bon Pastor is an industrial estate, a nondescript place where pedestrians feel disorientated, it needs a landmark, an icon which will enhance its identity and sense of place. La Maquinista is a shopping centre, an oasis of entertainment which attracts many visitors, but the urban intensity it generates is

fictional, it lacks an extended timetable and mixed use. It needs an alternative mode of entertainment, a reminder of the existence of another world, more real and potentially more fun, beyond the confines of the shopping mall.

Design Process The required programme is contained in a single linear building which defines the border of the park, thus a footprint showing the maximum buildable area is outlined. The design process is as follows: firstly, an envelope is extruded from the footprint area in order to attain the internal floor area required in the brief. Next, this extruded volume is modified as required by the needs of the different sectors of the environment, as described in the strategy.

Thus, A takes on a low profile, offering sexy views of the park to the pedestrians in La Maquinista shopping centre. The linear building reaches maximum height at B, providing a reference point for the pedestrians located in Baró de Viver industrial estate. Finally, the building lifts off from ground level at C, providing unobstructed access to the park and the rest of the city for the residents of Baró de Viver.

The entire building is conceived as a linear neighbourhood, an envelope which contains the variety of uses and the spatial complexity

we find in the city’s most attractive quarters. A pedestrian promenade runs through the entire length of the building, it is the main street of the linear neighbourhood, a ramp that will provide access to a network of public spaces (plazas) within the interior of the building.

Adaptability The brief explicitly demanded an adaptable project, in response to which we deploy two strategies. On the one hand, creating spaces which can adapt to different uses over time.

The best example of such a strategy is the natural amphitheatre located at the centre of the park. On weekdays it is basically a street that crosses the park, but its design allows other uses. A tarmac sports field has been placed along its axis, and the graded topography at either sides will provide seating for spectators.

The bridge that crosses over the street at the west end of the site can be the perfect stage for concerts or collective entertainment. This raised platform also bridges Ferran Junoy street, providing access to the adjacent linear park and connecting both green areas. Thus, one single space can actually perform as a street, sports field and open audtiorium. The second strategy consists in providing spaces the use of which is unspecified and that can therefore adapt to the future needs of the community. The best example is the Plaza Mayor, located on the fourth level of the building. This triple-height open space contained within the linear building can become whatever the residents need. It’s a gathering place that can become a cinema, a street market or just a civic space waiting to be colonised by the elderly (to play bowles) or by the youngsters (for skateboarding).

On a smaller scale, adaptability can be improved by designing spaces slightly larger than what is strictly necessary. For instance, corridors inside housing units are usually designed to be 90-110 cm wide. Such a width allows no improvised uses within a corridor, it can only be a “serving” space for circulation.

We have made it a priority to be more generous when it comes to designing such spaces.

Collective corridors which give access to each individual housing unit (the elevated streets of this linear quarter) have been designed to be able to adapt to new uses. Who says a corridor cannot become a library?

Housing Units A combination of diverse housing types under the same roof will enhance the social vitality of the linear neighbourhood and also facilitate the implementation of energetic solidarity.

The neighbourhood contains 507 units. There are 5 different types, three of which (D1,D2, D3) are duplex units. D1 units have 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom located on the lower level (GIFA 97 m2). D2 units have the same area, but boast 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms which are located on the upper level. D3 units are the most luxurious (GIFA 115 m2) and contain 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, plus a mezzanine level hovering over the living room. S1 units are subsidized apartments which have 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom (GIFA 65 m2) whereas S2 units are studio apartments (GIFA 45 m2) for rental aimed at under 25 and over 65 year olds. Adaptability is attained through a use of large sliding doors which can generate different layouts and through the deployment of largerthan-usual circulation space. If a corridor’s width is over 185 cm, it can become a working space or a storage space, it all depends on how the end user chooses to furnish it. These spaces may not qualify to be considered bedrooms (they have no direct light or ventilation) but they can however provide useful malleable space.

They should have a special name that indicates their potential, maybe corridooms...

Energy The roof of the linear neighbourhood is the generator. Solar panels spread over a 10,000 m2 area could provide most of the needed hot water; a rainwater tank provides freshwater and passive down-draught coolers (evaporative cooling); a 15 m2 area orchard per apartment

could produce fresh fruit and vegetables all year round. Other passive devices employed include cross ventilation (all flats are dual-aspect), stack effect in duplex units (warmer indoor air will rise and reduce the pressure at the lower floor encouraging cooler air to infiltrate during the hot season, in the cool season the effect will be reversed). Communal corridors for accessing housing units are lined with deciduous trees which provide shade during the hot season and eliminate carbon dioxide. Extensive overhangs in both facades also provide protection from direct sunlight during the summer months.

mcgrath@coac.net