Urbanization of the Mercat del Born's surroundings

With the reopening of the old Born Market has revitalized an area of Barcelona that for years has been somewhat disconnected from the activity of the city. Following this event, an improvement project of the Cultural Center's environment has been developed in the past years.

The studio vora has been commissioned to design this urban intervention aimed to adapt the space surrounding he renewed building and connect the user with the history of the area. The proposal is a pedestrian space that connects with the Paque de la Ciutadella with continuous cobbled pavement in which appears reminiscent of what in the past could be the buildings in the Medieval period. A seemingly simple project that, as well as the building that houses, has successfully managed to combine modernity with the history of the site.

Description of the project by vora

The urbanization of the Mercat del Born's surroundings is part of a regenerating strategy of a city area which has been at a standstill for many years due to the lack of use of the market and the inaccessibility to the Parc de la Ciutadella.

The market building, which contains a considerable part of medieval city, dating back to 1714, has been re-opened as a cultural and historic centre. The re-opening, at a urban level, offers a large, covered public space, framed by a cohesive architectural plan: the so-called porches Fontserè. The objective of the project is to answer to the potentials and necessities generated in the public space by the utilization of the building as a cultural centre. This answer is based on 3 strategies.

Connectivity and permeability.-

Traffic has been eliminated in Carrer Comerç in front of the market, by diverting it to the Passeig Picasso, creating a pedestrian area, connected with the rest of the neighbourhood up to the edge of the Parc de la Ciutadella.

Centrality and identity.-

An empty space has been generated around the building to accommodate its monumentality. The paved surface provides a link to the site's past history. Information deriving from surveys and old maps has been implemented into the layout of the granite paving stones. The final result allows two interpretations. On one hand there is a reference to a distant past: the layout of the old streets and buildings has been defined according to archaeological findings and is translated into a composition, made of sharp changes in the paving stone, which characterises and gives identity to the main space of the Plaça Comercial.

On the other hand there is a connection to a more recent past: the use of the market building offers a link to the cohesive character of the Fontserè, XIX century plan. The continuous, granite paving, distinguishes and relates the work to the collective imagination in mind. A large part of the cobblestones has been extracted and reclaimed in the same site.

Flexibility and functionality.-

The project has been defined with multiplicity in use in mind. With the opening of the BornCC current use will be intensified and new uses will emerge. The open space and the platform-like character of the square is meant to foster this multiplicity.

The remaining elements which configure the urbanization have been defined for their functionality. Trees, shade, and urban furniture are part of the current plan and permit the flexibility required.

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Vista de la Plaza del Mercado del Born por Vora. Fotografía © Adrià Goula.

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More information

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Architects

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Vora (Pere Buil and Toni Riba)

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Building coordination architects

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vora (Toni Riba)

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Collaborators

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Adrià Guardiet, Miquel Camps, Jordi Riba, Eva Cotman, Ondrej Fabian, PCG arquitectura e ingeniería (Engeneering), PCG arquitectura e ingeniería (Federico Giacomelli) (Ingeniería obra y coordinación), Anoche (lighting project), Josep Selga (Vegetation project), Isidre Pastor (Arqueology).

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Contractor

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Copisa.

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Location

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Born Market surrounding area. Barcelona (El Born)

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Surface Area

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14.000 sqm.

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Dates

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2009-12 (Project), 2012-2013 (Works).

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Client

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BIMSA (Barcelona d’Infraestructures Municipals)

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Awards.-

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archithon award 2014/ urban design category, city of barcelona 2013 award/ architecture and urbanism category,fad awards 2014 selection/ spain and portugal, VI enor awards 2014 selection/ spain and portugal, ajac 2012 awards, young catalan architects/ non built projects category award. public space.

Pere Buil. VORA

vora based in Barcelona, was founded in 2000. It is led by Pere Buil (1973), who graduated from the ETSAB in 2000. He combines his professional activity with teaching, occasionally with curating and cultural action. Pere Buil is a professor of Projects at the ETSAV (UPC, Sant Cugat del Vallès). Toni Riba (1973) was a partner from 2004 to 2023.

The studio works on projects of different scales and typologies. It has also designed some urban furniture. Its approach to the design and construction process is abstract and material. The studio is interested in using, reduction, and materiality in response to current challenges. It also focuses on traces and remains as remnants of memory and their impact on collective identities.

Her work has received several awards, including the El Temps de les Arts 2021 Award, Frame 2020, Surface Design 2020, 2AA 2018, Archmarathon 2014, Ciutat de Barcelona 2013, AJAC 2012, Arquitectura+ 2011, Bonaplata, finalist or shortlisted in several editions of the Mies van der Rohe Awards, FAD, ENOR, Bigmat, Spanish Architecture Biennial (BEAU), Architecture Award, European Landscape Biennial, and Arquía/Próxima, among others. She has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale in the Catalan and Spanish pavilions in the 2014 and 2016 editions. In May 2018, she presented her first monographic exhibition, "Shared Identities," at the Kolektiv gallery in Belgrade. His most recognized works include: Vallirana 47 (a comprehensive renovation of a small residential building), the Can Rosés Temporary School, the Ramon y Mar Pavilion (a small residential extension pavilion), the surroundings of the Born Market, the Juan Apartment, and the Can Ricart Sports Center, all in Barcelona; a medical office in Paüls, the Rambla San Francisco in Vilafranca, and the Bank of Spain Operations Courtyard in Madrid.

ADRIÀ GOULA SARDÀ

Adrià Goula Sardà (Barcelona, 1973) was formed in the School of Architecture in Barcelona where he obtained a degree in architecture in 2000 and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in 2007. He works as an architect in various offices in Barcelona (Enric Miralles (EMBT) and Coll-Leclerc arquitectos, etc..) and Paris (Yves Lion architectes et urbanistes) and in 2005 founded his firm "aH! arquitectura" together with Helen Silvy-Leligois.

Alongside professional start in photography of architecture, which will become its main activity. In this area, performs work for renowned architects locally and internationally (Yves Lion, Josep Mias, Josep Lluis Mateo, Eduard Bru, Vicente Guallart, Fermin Vazquez (b720 architects), Eva Prats and Ricardo Flores, etc.), and to various public and private institutions (City of Barcelona, Barcelona Metropolitan Area (MMAMB) Contemporary Culture Centre of Barcelona (CCCB), Musée des Monuments Français, Aéroports de Catalunya, Escofet, etc..)

Has published several monographic books: "On building of Josep Lluis Mateo" (Ed. Actar), "b720" (TC quadernos), " Ciutat Vella de Barcelona: memòria urbà d'un proces" (Ed. Criteria) and "Barceloneta Market of Josep Mias "(Ed. Actar) and has collaborated with multiple books and magazines, national and international (METALOCUS, AV, Domus, Abitare, Quaderns, AMC, Frame, On diseño, Arquitectura y Diseño, C3, Detail, etc ...). He has also been a professor of photography at the Escola Sert in Barcelona, has participated in several workshops and has lectured at various universities and schools.

He also developed a personal photo work beyond the architecture, that has been exposed individually in Paris ("NY" in Salón de Torigny, November 2003), Bordeaux ("Murs" in June 2009 and "Vietnam" in April 2011 in Atélier Dartois) and Barcelona ("NY" in June 2004 and "De-Construcción" in June 2010 in the Col.legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya). Currently, he's preparing an exhibition at the Gallery Kowasa in Barcelona for September 2012. He also published a book of his personal work "De-Construcción" by Fundación Esteyco in November 2009.