Located at the far end of Parc de les Rieras, Ravetllat Arquitectura + Carles Enrich Studio designed a temporary structure to house the stalls of the historic Horta Market during its renovation. The roof rests on a seven-meter-high wooden frame. The commercial area has a five-meter ceiling height, while the logistics space has a lower ceiling.
A glazed enclosure facilitates natural light and allows for cross-ventilation via CO2 sensors, enhancing natural environmental conditions and thus improving thermal comfort. Furthermore, the roof's geometry provides adequate acoustic comfort.
Horta Provisional Market, by Ravetllat Arquitectura + Carles Enrich Studio. Photograph by Adrià Goula and Carles Enrich.
Project description by Ravetllat Arquitectura + Carles Enrich Studio
A Two-Phase Project
The project involves the construction of a temporary market to relocate the food stalls of the historic Horta market during its renovation. This new market will be located on a vacant lot at the end of Parc de les Rieres, at the confluence of two important arteries of urban and ecosystemic growth. The project anticipates the transformation of this currently inactive space into a future public space through a strategy that encompasses two phases: present and future.
2023
First, the seven-meter-high wooden structure acts as a space-generating element and support for the current roof of the temporary market, based on a grid of pillars and beams that allows for optimal adaptation of the market's program. The market prioritizes natural environmental conditions to improve interior comfort: natural lighting is enhanced thanks to the glazed perimeter, which allows for cross-ventilation and natural air renewal via CO2 sensors that activate the opening of the windows.
2030
The structure is designed to be reused in the future as an urban element once the rehabilitation of the old market is complete. The modular wooden structure that supports the roof of the sales hall will remain in place and will be transformed into a pergola, a climate-resilient shelter providing shade between Lisboa and Porto streets, thus creating a new public space for the neighborhood.
Project Description
The project aims to temporarily house the functional program of the Horta Market while the renovation of the permanent market building is carried out. Although it is a temporary building, it is designed to endure long after its use as a market is no longer needed. The modular wooden structure that supports the roof of the sales hall will remain in place, being transformed into a pergola and offering a shaded space between Lisboa and Porto streets, thus creating a new public space for the neighborhood.
Located at the confluence of the Horta, Carmel, and La Clota neighborhoods, right on the slope at the northern entrance of the Rovira Tunnel, the new market coincides with a point of particular infrastructure tension, marking the end of the Parc de les Rieras and the convergence of two important arteries of urban and ecosystemic growth.
Permanent and Ephemeral
The project is conceived as a combination of permanent infrastructure and a temporary program. The main structure acts as a space-generating element and supports the current roof of the temporary market, using a grid of wooden pillars and beams that allow for good adaptation of the market's program and, at the same time, future reuse as an urban element providing shade and supporting lighting once the rehabilitation of the old market is complete. On the other hand, the areas that house the stalls and logistics are designed as temporary elements to meet the functional requirements of commercial activity.
The varying heights of the market's different roofs reflect a desire for topographic integration with the slope of Avenida de l’Estatut. The commercial area reaches a height of 5 meters, while the logistics area is lower to minimize its visual impact. The interior stalls are grouped around a perimeter ring and six islands, creating a grid of streets connected to the three entrances.
Sustainability and Lifespan
The market prioritizes natural environmental conditions to enhance the comfort of both vendors and shoppers. Natural light is maximized through the perimeter glazed enclosures, which also allow for cross-ventilation and natural air renewal thanks to CO2 sensors that automatically open the perimeter windows. The roof's geometry and materials significantly reduce reverberation and substantially improve the acoustics of the sales area.
On the other hand, the future reuse of the structure, as well as the possible reuse of the enclosures and interior equipment, represents a great economic saving in the dismantling and, at the same time, an appropriation of the space by the neighbors, who will see how the structure that has been used to house the temporary market represents an improvement in the urban environment for the future.
