Ecodistrict la Mercedes, Barcelona, Spain, mixed-use building development, Spanish architectural design, architecture photography
January 3, 2024
Architecture: Battleroig
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Image ©SBDA
Ecodistrict La Mercedes, Spain
Battleroig proudly presents ecodistrict lamercedes, a project to revitalize the old Mercedes-Benz factory in Barcelona. The project has generated new economic and residential activity and contributed to the large-scale urban regeneration of Bon Pastor and Bessos, which are now the most dynamic urban areas in the city.
Mercedes – From the automotive industry to the center of innovation and creativity
The former Mercedes-Benz factory is a nine-hectare industrial site strategically located between the Bon Pastor district and the center of Saint-Andreu. In the 1950s, it became the headquarters of the public company ENMASA. When it closed 15 years ago, it became an enclosed, disused place.
Its ongoing transformation foresees the introduction of a combination of residential and tertiary uses with innovation and economic activity related to Industry 4.0, and the transformation of historic industrial buildings into mixed-use buildings with high standards of sustainability. It will be maintained within the facility and become a new social node for the neighborhood.
Completion of the city grid
Old industrial sites impede connections between residential areas with very different social and economic characteristics. The La Mercedes district will be the intersection of two new urban axes. Through the east-west axis, the historic center of Sant Andreu will be connected with the Bon Pastor district and the future Lec Comtar Park, as well as with the park of Bessos. river. A north-south axis connects the La Maquinista and Barro de Viver districts with the Rec Comtar Park and the future development of the Trento de la Estadela Industrial Park. The proposal contributes to a new centrality that connects historically isolated areas despite their close proximity and defines and integrates the heterogeneous urban and social fabric of the environment.
recycling of industrial heritage
The historical and heritage value of Mercedes lies both in the material value of all its buildings, which are the result of a series of projects by architect Robert Terradas from the 1950s to the 1970s. The Scandinavian-style rationalist architecture and its intangible values testify to the area’s industrial history, in which many neighboring residents participated. The proposed development recognizes the architectural history and social significance of the site through the reuse of buildings. Various existing buildings. The project is based on the preservation of major industrial buildings used as cultural and educational facilities.
Complemented by new buildings for economic activities, the complex is organized around an existing central building, the structure of which is a large public plaza intended to become the center of activity for the new district. Preserved as a shelter, this building should house buildings. Large-scale clean energy production center. We create symbolic spaces that maintain the individuality of a place and contribute to a stronger sense of belonging to the region.
The complex’s first project is the restoration of workshop and office buildings built in the 1970s for the implementation of the Elizava Design School. This initiative combines heritage preservation and the implementation of knowledge-related uses as a sample of what the future of the Mercedes venue could be.
mixed-use district
This historic complex will contain not only offices and facilities focused on education and knowledge, but also specific types of activities focused not only on innovation, research and sustainability, but also on creativity for the 4.0 industry. It has been reborn as a place for economic activities.
The configuration of the complex defines two main axes, north-south and east-west, from which the residential blocks are developed, with suitable dimensions and proportions that provide high environmental quality, orientation and ventilation. The commercial front makes the pedestrian axis dynamic, providing activities to the various plazas generated throughout the sector, ensuring intensive use of public space and promoting proximity relationships.
A mixed-use district will be created combining 60% housing (40% affordable and 60% free) and 40% economic activity, services, local commerce, Industry 4.0, facilities, and between centers of innovation and knowledge. A synergistic effect is created.
new lifestyle
La Mercedes is destined to be a region where people can study, live and work. It is a compact area with residential buildings of all types and characteristics, as well as numerous ground floor commercial stores, community facilities, and economic activities. Together they constitute a new centrality that contributes to the integration of the heterogeneous urban fabric of the environment.
The project is committed to a new model of flexible, versatile, non-tiered housing with livable outdoor space. The boundaries between private and common will be redefined and new models of cooperative housing will emerge. This project facilitates the creation of an intermediate space, indoors or outdoors, between the private and public domains. Intermediate spaces become places for neighborhood coexistence, gathering, and play, promoting community living.
Ready to fight the climate emergency
Urban habitats ready to fight climate change. It is structured around green infrastructure such as roads and plazas, and is designed with systems and materials that can reduce the temperature of the surrounding environment by up to 3°C. This free space becomes a permeable and accessible gathering place that promotes social cohesion. Green spaces that enhance nature and biodiversity will be prioritized over vehicles being removed from public spaces.
Using an intelligent mobility system, Eco-Ira offers a peaceful interior space exclusively for pedestrians. All mobility and infrastructure will be integrated into the underground floor, freeing up the first floor of the vehicle and increasing the permeability of laMercedes. The space will be completely pedestrian-only and bicycle-friendly, and there will be no motor vehicle traffic on the road except for emergency vehicles. This creates accessible and safe routes and integrates laMercedes into urban route networks.
An underground transportation system has been introduced with an entrance from the perimeter road. From there, vehicles are directed to various parking lots with reserved loading and unloading zones. Furthermore, in the near future, it will be possible to develop areas that will realize new mobility, such as last-mile logistics space and electric vehicle charging zones.
inclusive city
Planning has been understood from its origins as a unique opportunity to work on the premises of inclusive urbanism in all aspects of the city, society, economy and environment. That is, building a city that unifies the city, facilitates daily life, and promotes social interaction. High-quality urban environment.
LOOM Plaza Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain) – Building information
Architect: Batlleiroig Arquitectura – https://www.batlleiroig.com/
Client: Conren Tramway
author:
Enric Batlet Durany, Joan Roig y Duran, Albert Gilles Margalef, Helena Salvado Gine, Abel Polkar Badal, Joan Batlet Bray, Josep Batlet Bray – Architects
team:
Mercedes Blay Blanc, Helena Valls Figols – architects and urban planners / Josep Maria Navarrete, Diana Martínez Badia, Laura Menéndez Smith, Laura Florentín Aragón – architects
Collaborator: Garrigues – Lawyer
Date: 2022
Location: Santo Andreu, Barcelona
About Battleroig
Batlleiroig is a Barcelona architecture company founded in 1981 by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig. The firm’s multidisciplinary team combines planning, landscape and architecture practices. Batlleiroig has always understood design as a continuous process that leads to the correct development of professional activity. They understand architecture as a profession that must combine creativity and skill in order to obtain maximum efficiency in its results. Committed to the environment and finding solutions to solve the planet’s climate crisis, Battleroig has been involved in landscape and nature stories since its founding.
Rendering ©SBDA
Ecodistrict laMercedes, Barcelona, Spain image/information retrieved from v2com newswire on 030124
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