ADS-B 2021 Barcelona Studio, Davisi Boontharm

Urban intensities: space, time and pleasures of everyday life

“First life, then spaces, then buildings. The other way around never works.”
Jan Gehl

Background
Contemporary urban design has tried to account for the satisfaction of the human experience and quality of life. Many cities around the world include the health and well-being issues into the planning and urban design policy to improve the physical environment and decrease risks associated with their everyday activities. The Barcelona studio is interested in how the design of public space can foster equity and well-being of the community and generate another meaningful public space to this great city.

Design Brief
The theme of the studio is intensities of space, time and pleasure of everyday life. We will start with conceptual thinking that generate a meaningful urban space design. We are using the brief of the competition Aquatic Centre in plaza Gaudi. A project of an Aquatic Centre is proposed, suitable for public bathing, any type of sport, leisure, relaxing, recreational swimming pool, etc., chosen by the contestant using their own judgement.
Solutions that reflect on the value of water for health, the environment and as a symbolic and essential reference element for the life of the planet will be valued. In this regard, the contribution of sustainable concepts in the architectural proposal will be important.The solutions provided can introduce new ideas to the traditional way in which these types of spaces have so far been understood, proposing, if deemed appropriate, innovative ways of relating to water.
The project will take into account its unique location within the geometry of the Cerdà Plan’s blocks and its formal and visual relationship with the emblematic Sagrada Familia building. It should be borne in mind that, when the action is proposed in a green area of Barcelona, even though it is architectural in nature, the rest of the landscaped space must be arranged and resolved from the standpoints of biodiversity and the relationship between architecture, city and landscape as defined in the 2020 Barcelona Green and Biodiversity Plan. The project will functionally resolve accesses, interior routes, changing rooms and complementary spaces necessary for the use of water spaces for public bathing and for the management of an aquatic centre of these characteristics. As it is a theoretical exercise, there is no limitation on buildability, heights or build volume.

Keywords
LIFE: Quality of life, Well-being, body and mind, social activities, sensorial experience, pleaseure
SPACE: Public space, human scale, meaningful environment, green, blue
WATER: Fluidity, force, 5 senses, temperature
BUILDINGS: Bioclimatic, architecture of the city, materiality
EDGES: public/private interface, land/water/body interface
CONNECTIVITY: paths, speed, flows
FLEXIBILITY: adjustable, adaptable in time and space to maintain life year round

We are plesed to announce that our project Santuario Aquatico won the competition!