Re-naturalizing Barcelona port. Parc Blau by on-a

Description of project by on-a

On the occasion of Model. Festival of Architectures of Barcelona, the Barcelona architecture practice on-a, directed by Jordi Fernández and Eduardo Guitiérrez, presents a new proposal for urban transformation in the port of Barcelona. The 'Parc Blau' project imagines a possible future for the area that offers the opportunity to renaturalize the space, turn it into a park, fill it with life and allow the citizens to enjoy it without renouncing the services currently established in the area.
 
The festival, which will take place between 5 and 15 May, is promoted by Barcelona City Council and the Architects' Association of Catalonia (COAC) and aims to transform the city into a space for reflection that helps us to rethink how we want to live together through new city models and new imaginaries.

In this context, various experimental architecture activities will take place, including the presentation of the 'PARC BLAU' project in one of the augmented reality installations that can be visited on the statue of Columbus. Citizens will be able to approach and visualize in situ, with their mobile phone and a QR code, the proposal of the new urban space designed by on-a.

Parc Blau, Barcelona's reunion with the sea
Is it possible to transform the port of Barcelona into a large urban park? The proposal is not just an experimental idea to reflect on the future of cities, it is a project that could be implemented and become a reality.
 
Along the lines of the idea presented in 2020 by on-a to convert the Camp Nou stadium into a large park of 26 hectares, this year the study presents another example of re-naturalization that would allow the city of Barcelona to gain new green spaces for citizens, creating a new focus of leisure, culture, biodiversity, and relaxation for the city. A park in which to stroll, swim, run, play sports, sunbathe or swim, which could be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, in which the beach, the port, and the city merge and connect in perfect balance.
 
The port of Barcelona has historically been an infrastructure that has looked towards the sea, with a rather hermetic character, designed to offer logistical services and partially integrated into the leisure and culture of the city. The proposal of 'PARC BLAU' proposes to open up this space, distributing the services between the logistics platform and the Port Vell, allowing it to expand towards the interior of the city, creating a new and large urban space for the enjoyment of the citizens.

Currently, 80% of the perimeter of the port is inaccessible to the public, starting at the Paseo de Colón, which is interpreted as a great architectural barrier that makes accessibility complex or even non-existent at some points. In total, there is a perimeter of about 9,500 meters, 88% private access, and only 12% public access. All this space has the potential to become a large park capable of decongesting the area and connecting the adjacent neighbourhoods of Ciutat Vella, the Raval, Paral-lel, and Barceloneta.

Within the framework of the Model. Festival of Architectures of Barcelona, on-a encourages citizens and public administrations to re-imagine the area and dialogue to set a long-term plan that will make it possible to transform the city, transforming it into a global example of how architecture, urban planning, and private services can coexist in the same place without sacrificing comfort, sustainability and the enjoyment of citizens.

The proposal could be developed in several phases and strategies. On the one hand, the perimeter line separating the port from the city would be modified, allowing citizens access to different leisure, restaurant, cultural and administrative areas. On the other hand, a large green promenade would be added to connect the new perimeter and collect the flow of all the adjacent neighbourhoods. Along the promenade, all the activities and services designed for citizens, both on land and at sea, would be distributed. The transformation would give rise to a park that would also have an artificial "lake" that could be reached by canoe, paddle surfing, or other maritime activities.

The city of Barcelona already underwent a major transformation in 1992, when a large part of the coastline and more than 10km of beaches were reclaimed. Now it has the opportunity to once again carry out a major operation to conquer the perimeter of this 10 km of beach, turning Barcelona into a greener and more inclusive city for citizens and visitors.

The city still has an urgent appointment with a sustainable future and must renaturalize itself in order to survive and continue to grow. Today, Barcelona can be defined as a dense, congested city with a conspicuous lack of large green areas, beyond the external lung of the Collserola mountain range. This vision makes more sense than ever after the pandemic, which has shown us the contradictions and shortcomings of the city, highlighting the urgency of applying new ideas and different and innovative urban developments.

Colonising the port of Barcelona
As a result of this research and reflection on the Port of Barcelona, ​​ON-A has been invited to make an Augmented Reality intervention in the Model. Architecture Festival within the theme “Between Species”. The chosen point has been the statue of Columbus where the participants of the festival will be able to contemplate from May 5 to 15 the totally disruptive and utopian proposal of the Barcelona studio.

Through AR technology, visitors will be able to visualize a large tree where the statue of Columbus is now located, with the intention of proposing a reflection on how citizens should "colonize" public space to make it more habitable and greener. In this case, the symbolic monument of Columbus, which commemorates past colonization, is transformed in a timely manner into a virtual tree that symbolizes this «new colonization».

 The tree is inspired by the oak, the most common tree in Catalonia, with approximately 100 meters in height and a large amount of vegetation and biodiversity. Around the trunk, there will be a continuous ramp that would allow all the inhabitants to access this new facility and its elevated platforms that would allow everyone to enjoy the views of the city and the new port park.

The intervention can be seen from two points near the statue where the information totems and the QR codes that give access to the Augmented Reality display will be. Point 1 will be seeing the statue of Columbus from the Ramblas towards the Port and point 2 from the Port towards the Ramblas.