A space for research. FLORA pavilion by IAAC

Project description by IAAC

FLORA – from Forest Lab for Observational Research and Analysis – is a solid wood structure located in Valldaura, in the central forest of the Barcelona metropolitan area: the Collserola Natural Park. With more than 8.5 meters high, the project was built with pine trees from the sustainable forest management of the surrounding forest, following a rigorous wood traceability process. The students, participants in IAAC's Master's in Advanced Green Buildings and Biocities, cut and processed seventy trees to create cross-laminated timber panels, laminated beams and solid timber elements. FLORA will be used to house a researcher for a short period of time to study the biodiversity of the park and use the new FLORA weather station.

The Collserola Park is the largest natural space in the Barcelona metropolitan area, with more than 8,000 hectares, and is exposed to the risks of Mediterranean forests, especially at this time when they are subject to long droughts and the effects of change climate. It is in this environmental environment where IAAC master's students have built the first structure that allows the observation of its forest canopy and monitor the evolution of ecosystems: FLORA.


FLORA by IAAC. Photograph by Adrià Goula.


FLORA by IAAC. Photograph by Adrià Goula.

Zero kilometer materials
MAEBB students carried out additional research to analyze the biodiversity of the forest and identify the different inhabitants of the subsoil, surface, canopy and sky. This study allowed them to discern the structures and dimensions necessary to develop the construction and, what is more important, the type of materials that could be used.

From its construction to its final use, the FLORA project is based on the "zero kilometer" philosophy. The main construction material is wood, obtained from the environment itself, without the need for a supply chain. The Collserola Park forest is made up of a wide variety of trees and plants that require sustainable management actions to allow the forest and the biodiversity it houses to develop efficiently.

Seventy pine trees were felled to supply the necessary construction material for FLORA. These trees were extracted and collected in the Valldaura area based on the Sustainable Forest Management Plan approved in Collserola. The students processed the collected pine trees to create cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, glulam beams, and solid wood using the CLT sawmill and small press available at Valldaura Labs.

The CLT core rests on four 30 x 30 cm glued laminated timber pillars. The bridges are made of glued laminated wood; the longest of them is about 12 meters. All of these components were individually fabricated and assembled with a crane in a complicated installation sequence. The CLT structure is protected by two layers of natural cork panels that provide thermal and acoustic insulation.

The netting that wraps around the building, inspired by hunting nests, was digitally designed and woven by hand. With it, it is intended to better camouflage the project, allowing the plants to spread over it. In this way, it would be possible to blend the structure even more with the forest to hide it from the surrounding fauna.


FLORA by IAAC. Photograph by Adrià Goula.

FLORA allows a scientist to reside inside for a short period of time to study local biodiversity and observe how the effects of climate change are influencing the natural park. By housing an ornithological radio, aviaries, a work and projection space, as well as spaces for bird watching, the project seeks immersion within nature and the creation of an interactive ecological prototype.

Scientific research facility to study the forest canopy
This observatory is inspired by the excellent work of the American biologist Margaret D. Lowman, aka Canopy Meg, considered the pioneer of the science of forest canopy ecology. She has spent the last 30 years designing hot air balloons and walkways that can help explore and solve the mysteries of the world's forests, especially the great diversity of insects and the health of the ecosystem.

The forest canopy is the habitat formed by the treetops where a great diversity of animals usually lives since the conditions are usually more optimal for some species. These protect the forest floor by intercepting and favouring the percolation of 60-90% of rainwater or snow into the ground while acting as natural regulators to preserve the roots in case of heavy rainfall. It also nourishes the soil by producing a litter, making it maintain its fertility.

The conservation of the forest canopy is essential to guarantee the water cycle, since much of the water absorbed by trees is recirculated to the atmosphere through the transpiration phase, and its study is very useful for climate change mitigation research since it provides information to analyze absorption, carbon storage and flow.