Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné
05/04/2023.
[Olot] Spain
metalocus, ANDRÉS BLANCO
metalocus, ANDRÉS BLANCO
Architecture studios, Jaume Bach, Anna Bach, Eugeni Bach, Xevi Bayona and Alba Colomer, in collaboration with the civil engineer Lluís Pauné, completed the urban renovation project of the Miquel Blay promenade, known as "El Firal" in the city of Olot, capital of the region of La Garrocha, north of Gerona, Spain.
The "El Firal" and "Firalet" promenades, located in the centre of the city, constitute the most important wooded public spaces as well as the backbones of the life of its citizens, where the weekly market is home, where the local festivals are held, where the main facilities of the city are located, such as the Town Hall and the Principal Theater or where you can find important buildings such as the Casa Solà-Morales or the Casa Gaietà Vila.
The "El Firal" and "Firalet" promenades, located in the centre of the city, constitute the most important wooded public spaces as well as the backbones of the life of its citizens, where the weekly market is home, where the local festivals are held, where the main facilities of the city are located, such as the Town Hall and the Principal Theater or where you can find important buildings such as the Casa Solà-Morales or the Casa Gaietà Vila.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eduard Masdéu .
Urban plan. Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné.
Site plan. Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné.
Floor plan. Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné.
Fountain floor plan and section. Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné.
Longitudinal section. Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné.
Cross section. Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné.
Details. Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné.
Skecht. Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné.
The design by Jaume Bach, Anna Bach, Eugeni Bach, Xevi Bayona and Alba Colomer aims to enhance the urban memory of "El Firal" and "El Firalet" and distinguish the identity of both while making their connection with the rest of the city permeable.
The project revitalizes this area by pedestrianizing it and intervening in the pavement, street furniture, facilities, lighting, vegetation and children's games to adapt it to the new uses of its citizens.
Especially relevant is the spatial reconfiguration. Thanks to the new proposed geometry, unevenness is saved and the project gains a new square that serves as a hinge to unite the two promenades and resolve the ambitious functional program requested by the City Council.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
The project revitalizes this area by pedestrianizing it and intervening in the pavement, street furniture, facilities, lighting, vegetation and children's games to adapt it to the new uses of its citizens.
Especially relevant is the spatial reconfiguration. Thanks to the new proposed geometry, unevenness is saved and the project gains a new square that serves as a hinge to unite the two promenades and resolve the ambitious functional program requested by the City Council.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Eugeni Bach.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Project description by Jaume Bach, Anna Bach, Eugeni Bach, Xevi Bayona and Alba Colomer
The Miquel Blay Boulevard, known as “El Firal”, and the Bisbe Guillament Boulevard (El Firalet) are together one of the most emblematic places in the city. Located in the centre, these two tree-lined streets contain some of the most relevant buildings in the city, including the City Hall, the Main Theater, Casa Sola-Morales and Casa Gaietà Vila.
Historically, “El Firal” was a space for meeting and coming together with the citizens. It currently hosts a large number of activities, including the weekly open-air market and the main Olot festivities such as the “Festes del Tura”, which require flexibility and versatility in this public space. In this sense, the proposal intended to reverse the situation of recent years, in which the pavement, urban elements and other pieces presented a high level of heterogeneity due to improvised solutions that had taken place across recent decades, limiting versatility and functionality.
Central to the intervention is the proposal’s elimination of road traffic on the passage, limited to what is strictly necessary and establishing a traffic strategy for nearby streets that permit pacifying this part of the city.
Urban renovation of "El Firal" by Bach, Bayona, Colomer, Pauné. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
In order to achieve these goals, the proposal uses different existing structures to provide a new sense of functionality to this space, so representative of the city of Olot. The strategy consists of defining the limits of “El Firal” and “El Firalet”, with the understanding that these spaces are protagonists both historically and culturally in the life of the city. Thus the project proposes a series of strategies for the materials of the different pavements, urban buildings and lighting to highlight the limits of these spaces, while at the same time, they are totally permeable. In demarcating the geometry of these two boulevards, the interstitial space is solved with a simple topographic movement, providing a new plaza in the city, which brings together both public spaces while providing the functional capacity required by the municipality.
This new central space between “El Firal” and “El Firalet” provides for a multiplicity of uses, thanks to its open character. It solves the topographic discontinuity, eliminating all barriers and providing children’s play spaces, a stage and an open plaza for events of all kinds.
More information
Architects
Collaborators
Lluís Pauné, civil engineer.
Angel Rico, architect.
Angel Rico, architect.
Developer / Client
Municipality of Olot.
Builder
Rubau-Tarrés SAU.
Dates
Date of completion.- 2022.
Localitation
Paseo de Miquel Blay, Olot, Girona, Spain.
Photography
Jaume Bach Núñez
Jaume Bach Núñez was born in Sabadell in 1943. He studied at the Escola Tècnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona, graduating in 1969, and receiving the degree of Doctor of Architecture and Professor. He has taught Composition and Architectural Projects at this university since 1970 and he is a member of the ETSAB’s Final Projects Jury.
In 1965 he worked as a student collaborator in the studio MBM, and later in Correa and Milá studio. He began his professional activity in 1968 combining Architecture with Urbanism; it was in the 80s when he founded the Bach / Mora society and later in 1988 Bach Arquitectes S.L.P. He has been a visiting professor in public institutions and Architecture Schools such as Hannover, Urbino, Torino, Vienna, Bucharest and Dublin.
He has given numerous seminars and lectures over Spain, and internationally in Germany, Austria, France, Holland, Italy, Slovenia, England, Ireland, Finland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, United States, India, Argentina, Brasil, Mexico, Venezuela and Chile. As a jury member, he has been present in the 1995 FAD Awards, the “Piranesi Prize” of Architecture (Slovenia), and the International Competition of Young Architects of Guadalajara (Mexico) among others. He is an honorary member of the Board of Trustees of the Contemporary Art Museum of Caracas.
In 1965 he worked as a student collaborator in the studio MBM, and later in Correa and Milá studio. He began his professional activity in 1968 combining Architecture with Urbanism; it was in the 80s when he founded the Bach / Mora society and later in 1988 Bach Arquitectes S.L.P. He has been a visiting professor in public institutions and Architecture Schools such as Hannover, Urbino, Torino, Vienna, Bucharest and Dublin.
He has given numerous seminars and lectures over Spain, and internationally in Germany, Austria, France, Holland, Italy, Slovenia, England, Ireland, Finland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, United States, India, Argentina, Brasil, Mexico, Venezuela and Chile. As a jury member, he has been present in the 1995 FAD Awards, the “Piranesi Prize” of Architecture (Slovenia), and the International Competition of Young Architects of Guadalajara (Mexico) among others. He is an honorary member of the Board of Trustees of the Contemporary Art Museum of Caracas.
Anna Bach, Eugeni Bach. Anna and Eugeni Bach
Anna & Eugeni Bach is an architecture studio founded in 1999 by Anna Bach and Eugeni Bach. The study operates in a broad spectrum of design, from urban planning and architecture to interior and object design.
Anna Bach, Nummi, Finland, 1973. Architect by the Helsinki University of Technology, 2001. Visitant professor at 'Taller Vertical' in ESARQ UIC, Barcelona, directed by Duncan Lewis (1999). PDI Professor in EINA – Univeristy Center of Design and Art in Barcelona, Universitat Autónoma de Bellaterra, Barcelona (2008 – currently).
Eugeni Bach, Barcelona, Spain 1974. Architect by the ETSAB, UPC, 1999. Visitant professor at 'Taller Vertical' in ESARQ UIC, Barcelona, directed by Duncan Lewis (1999). Proffesor in the Mies van der Rohe Chair, ETSAB UPC, under the direction of David Chipperfield (2001). Projects Proffesor in La Salle School of Architecture, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona (2005 - currently).
Anna Bach, Nummi, Finland, 1973. Architect by the Helsinki University of Technology, 2001. Visitant professor at 'Taller Vertical' in ESARQ UIC, Barcelona, directed by Duncan Lewis (1999). PDI Professor in EINA – Univeristy Center of Design and Art in Barcelona, Universitat Autónoma de Bellaterra, Barcelona (2008 – currently).
Eugeni Bach, Barcelona, Spain 1974. Architect by the ETSAB, UPC, 1999. Visitant professor at 'Taller Vertical' in ESARQ UIC, Barcelona, directed by Duncan Lewis (1999). Proffesor in the Mies van der Rohe Chair, ETSAB UPC, under the direction of David Chipperfield (2001). Projects Proffesor in La Salle School of Architecture, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona (2005 - currently).
Xevi Bayona
Xevi Bayona. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Olot. He also studies architecture in Barcelona and Portugal, at the FAUP, Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto. Architect from the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB). Postgraduate Degree in Landscaping at the (ETSAB) and Master in Theory and Practice of the Architectural Design at the (ETSAB).
Since 2008 he has been a professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Girona and since 2018Professor at Elisava’s international master’s degree in ephemeral architecture. Winner of several awards, including three FAD awards, several finalists and selected projects, and winner of awards and mentions of the architecture of the Counties of Gerona. Since 2017 he collaborates with Àlex Posada, MID Studio. He has designed civil works such as the Renovation of the State Bridge of Tortosa over the river Ebro, the renovation of the sports area of Sant Jaume de Llierca or the Olot Fair, as well as works of housing architecture. He has given lectures, and workshops and made ephemeral interventions in various European cities. He has been the Artistic Director of the Fire and Light Festival, Lluèrnia d’Olot, since its inception.
Bayona Studio is a workshop and studio in the centre of the city of Olot, working with experimentation and essay as a method, criticism as learning, emotions as a tool, interpretation and respect for the environment social, physical and cultural, enthusiasm and intense research as fuel. All at the crossroads of architecture, town planning, art, landscape, ephemeral installations and light sculptures, a mixture of disciplines that feedback and complement each other.
Since 2008 he has been a professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Girona and since 2018Professor at Elisava’s international master’s degree in ephemeral architecture. Winner of several awards, including three FAD awards, several finalists and selected projects, and winner of awards and mentions of the architecture of the Counties of Gerona. Since 2017 he collaborates with Àlex Posada, MID Studio. He has designed civil works such as the Renovation of the State Bridge of Tortosa over the river Ebro, the renovation of the sports area of Sant Jaume de Llierca or the Olot Fair, as well as works of housing architecture. He has given lectures, and workshops and made ephemeral interventions in various European cities. He has been the Artistic Director of the Fire and Light Festival, Lluèrnia d’Olot, since its inception.
Bayona Studio is a workshop and studio in the centre of the city of Olot, working with experimentation and essay as a method, criticism as learning, emotions as a tool, interpretation and respect for the environment social, physical and cultural, enthusiasm and intense research as fuel. All at the crossroads of architecture, town planning, art, landscape, ephemeral installations and light sculptures, a mixture of disciplines that feedback and complement each other.
Alba Colomer
Alba Colomer. After graduating in Technical Engineering in Industrial Design (ELISAVA, 2008) and in Architecture (UdG, 2015), she began her professional activity in the field of packaging design. In 2009 she started the Higher Studies in Interior Design (EASD of Olot). After this first approximation, in 2010 she began her Degree in Architecture, finishing in 2017 the Master's in Architecture Studies (University of Girona).
During this academic stage, she collaborates in the Department of Urban Planning and Projects of the UdG, in communication and design projects for the Board of Trustees of the Polytechnic University of the UdG and in professional firms such as "Arquitecturia de Josep Camps y Olga Felip" (2012 -2014 ) or with «Un Parell d'Arquitectes» (2014). In 2011, together with Alba Danés, she started the PLA B project, a platform to promote the work of young emerging Catalan creators, and she carried out ephemeral architecture interventions with the La Quimera collective.
In 2014 she joined the professional project started by Xevi Bayona and Adrià Villarejo and co-founded XAA Arquitectura, from where she has carried out several architectural projects linked to housing and public space, as well as ephemeral interventions, for which they have obtained several awards. Projects include the rehabilitation of the Tortosa State Bridge (2014-2017), the remodelling project of the Olot Fair (2016-2018), the ephemeral intervention "Christmas in Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona" (2017) or the reform of the El Molí Vell house (2015-2018), a project with which they obtained a special mention in the COAC 2018 Girona region architecture awards.
Since 2019 she has developed her professional activity alone and is a teacher carrying out architecture projects and working as a professor of Technical Drawing and Interior Design specialities at the EASD in Olot.
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Alba Colomer. Graduada en Ingeniería Técnica en Diseño Industrial (ELISAVA, 2008) y en Arquitectura (UdG, 2015), inició su actividad profesional en el ámbito del diseño de packaging. En 2009 empiezo los Estudios Superiores en Diseño de Interiores (EASD de Olot). Tras esta primera aproximación, en 2010 inició el Grado en Arquitectura, finalizando en 2017 el Máster en Estudios de Arquitectura (Universidad de Girona).
Durante esta etapa académica colaboro en el departamento de urbanismo y proyectos de la UdG, en proyectos de comunicación y diseño por el Patronato de la Universidad Politécnica de la UdG y en despachos profesionales como «Arquitecturia de Josep Camps y Olga Felip» (2012 -2014) o con «Un Parell d’Arquitectes» (2014). En 2011 inicio junto con Alba Danés el proyecto PLA B, una plataforma para promover el trabajo de jóvenes creadores emergentes catalanes y realizo intervenciones de arquitectura efímera con el colectivo la Quimera.
En 2014 me sumo al proyecto profesional iniciado por Xevi Bayona y Adrià Villarejo y cofundó XAA Arquitectura, desde donde ha realizado varios proyectos de arquitectura vinculados a la vivienda y al espacio público, así como intervenciones efímeras, por los que han obtenido varios premios. Como proyectos destacan la rehabilitación del Puente del Estado de Tortosa (2014-2017), el proyecto de remodelación del Ferial de Olot (2016-2018), la intervención efímera «Navidad en Plaza Cataluña de Barcelona» (2017) o la reforma de la vivienda El Molí Vell (2015-2018), proyecto con el que obtuvieron una mención especial en los premios de arquitectura de las comarcas de Gerona del COAC 2018.
Desde 2019 desarrolla su actividad profesional en solitario y es docente realizando proyectos de arquitectura y trabajando como profesora de las especialidades de Dibujo Técnico y Diseño de Interiores en la EASD de Olot.
During this academic stage, she collaborates in the Department of Urban Planning and Projects of the UdG, in communication and design projects for the Board of Trustees of the Polytechnic University of the UdG and in professional firms such as "Arquitecturia de Josep Camps y Olga Felip" (2012 -2014 ) or with «Un Parell d'Arquitectes» (2014). In 2011, together with Alba Danés, she started the PLA B project, a platform to promote the work of young emerging Catalan creators, and she carried out ephemeral architecture interventions with the La Quimera collective.
In 2014 she joined the professional project started by Xevi Bayona and Adrià Villarejo and co-founded XAA Arquitectura, from where she has carried out several architectural projects linked to housing and public space, as well as ephemeral interventions, for which they have obtained several awards. Projects include the rehabilitation of the Tortosa State Bridge (2014-2017), the remodelling project of the Olot Fair (2016-2018), the ephemeral intervention "Christmas in Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona" (2017) or the reform of the El Molí Vell house (2015-2018), a project with which they obtained a special mention in the COAC 2018 Girona region architecture awards.
Since 2019 she has developed her professional activity alone and is a teacher carrying out architecture projects and working as a professor of Technical Drawing and Interior Design specialities at the EASD in Olot.
---
Alba Colomer. Graduada en Ingeniería Técnica en Diseño Industrial (ELISAVA, 2008) y en Arquitectura (UdG, 2015), inició su actividad profesional en el ámbito del diseño de packaging. En 2009 empiezo los Estudios Superiores en Diseño de Interiores (EASD de Olot). Tras esta primera aproximación, en 2010 inició el Grado en Arquitectura, finalizando en 2017 el Máster en Estudios de Arquitectura (Universidad de Girona).
Durante esta etapa académica colaboro en el departamento de urbanismo y proyectos de la UdG, en proyectos de comunicación y diseño por el Patronato de la Universidad Politécnica de la UdG y en despachos profesionales como «Arquitecturia de Josep Camps y Olga Felip» (2012 -2014) o con «Un Parell d’Arquitectes» (2014). En 2011 inicio junto con Alba Danés el proyecto PLA B, una plataforma para promover el trabajo de jóvenes creadores emergentes catalanes y realizo intervenciones de arquitectura efímera con el colectivo la Quimera.
En 2014 me sumo al proyecto profesional iniciado por Xevi Bayona y Adrià Villarejo y cofundó XAA Arquitectura, desde donde ha realizado varios proyectos de arquitectura vinculados a la vivienda y al espacio público, así como intervenciones efímeras, por los que han obtenido varios premios. Como proyectos destacan la rehabilitación del Puente del Estado de Tortosa (2014-2017), el proyecto de remodelación del Ferial de Olot (2016-2018), la intervención efímera «Navidad en Plaza Cataluña de Barcelona» (2017) o la reforma de la vivienda El Molí Vell (2015-2018), proyecto con el que obtuvieron una mención especial en los premios de arquitectura de las comarcas de Gerona del COAC 2018.
Desde 2019 desarrolla su actividad profesional en solitario y es docente realizando proyectos de arquitectura y trabajando como profesora de las especialidades de Dibujo Técnico y Diseño de Interiores en la EASD de Olot.
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