Park Atop The New Horta Bus Deposit In Barcelona
We are looking for a new perspective, the aerial vision, more in tune with the XXIst century than the frontal vision of the passer-by, more proper of the XIXth century. The park cannot be seen (only its trees but not its geometry) but felt (through its platforms, small hills or cuttings ) Geographical, topographical or topological mechanisms rather than compositional mechanisms
The tilting down or 90º rotation of the vertical plane, from the axis of the monument to the horizontality of the ground plane, from the frontal to the aerial perspective, is an operation already performed by Giacometti in 1930. In the first surrealist sculptures, the masks are transformed into architectonic landscapes, and the landscape into a game board. (On ne joue plus, 1932). The first horizontal sculptures, without pedestal incorporated mobility and play as fundamental elements. Giacomettis game board, horizontal sculptures enact the marriage of the field of the representation XIX c. architecture- with the condition of the base, the ground, the earth (R. Krauss). The object is flat, and horizontal but thick with inner voids.
The park is more than green areas but roofs with an in-built thickness, thus with a width to thickness ratio close to that of Giacomettis sculptures. It is a 90° rotation, a tilting of the façade into a roof. The façade as a roof and the roof as a façade.
We also apply the operation of change of scale that allows us to reinforce ambiguity, to see the intervention in the Ciutadella Park as a large picnic table or in the roof over the bus deposit as large scuppers collecting rainwater.
As a result of its particular condition on the roof of a bus deposit, the park is conceived as a machine for draining and conducting water, distinguishing between superficial and deep-water conductions. The artificial nature of the site (park on a rooftop, limit of the urban area) is reflected in the funnels (superficial waters) whereas the natural aspect is reflected in the interstitial wrinkled area surrounding the funnels.
The large concrete funnels collect torrential water to a central scupper. They are free of natural vegetation and constitute basins of different finish materials provoking two types of landscape: a cold landscape of sand, water, earth and concrete and a warm landscape of grass, bamboo, colored rubbers and hiparrenia. The cold landscape will generate a dynamic activity: skating, water games, bike trials whereas the warm landscape will generate a quiet activity: lying down, sun bathing, reading, pic-nic, gazing, gardening, and child games.
The so-called wrinkled area collects water through a system of micro-basins where the water stagnates and spreads slowly through the ground. Two types of vegetation articulate the wrinkled area: Type A: hyparrenia and Type B: a mix of hyparrenia and pine tree basins. The continuity of the actual vegetation of the southern slope of Collserola Mountains is thus ensured. Agroforestal techniques are applied to a public space allowing to cover large areas economically.
- This project is part of a larger intervention, started in 2000 with a winning ex-aequo proposal for a 60.000 sq. m. bus garage with an ecological roof. Our thick roof proposal with facilities hanging from it inside the garage, finally evolved into a project for a park on the roof (maybe the biggest) or a roof as a park . a machine for draining and conducting water.
tête-paysage 1930-31
On ne joue plus", 1932
