2018 OUT 旅遊報告書

The Public Space System In a Grid City 2018 OUT Scholarship Traveling Project From Barcelona to Taichung Central District

Dept. ARCH , NCKU Chu, Hung - Yu 朱弘煜 2018 Summer

PREFACE Walking through history, the central district had been the most prosperous district of Taichung city. The grid system planned a hundred years ago, is no longer fitting today.

The problems come one after the other. And, how can we revive this historical site?

The Eixample district, Barcelona, built in the same era, had a similar block scale with central district . Their urban planning is still highly praised nowadays, how do they make it ? Or are they now facing urban problems as well.

I want to compare Barcelona The Eixample district and Taichung Central district, to discuss “ the public space system in a grid city�

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Taichung

Barcelona

Central District

The Eixample

m

20 11 3m

14 m 1 00 m

3m 11

chamfer coner at 45 degrees

10 0

m

m

40

Planning : 1900 Area : 0.8803 km2 Population : 18,476 Density : 20,995/km2 (2018) 49,529/km2 (1986)

Planning:1850's Area : 7.48 km2 Population : 266,874 Density : 36,000/km2(2018)

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Taichung Central District

富信大飯店

Barcelona The Eixample

住商混合街屋

台灣企銀

內部為住宅延伸

其餘都是住商混合

竹舫百貨 ( 已荒廢 ) 停車場

港式餐廳

辦公大樓

土地銀行

Residential district/ blocks with single function and restricted build height.

Commercial district / mixed use, extreme differences in building heights.

40M 20M

10M

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l. A Grid City

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CERDA's PLAN Just like many ancient big cities, since the development of industry in the 18th century, Barcelona has attracted people from all over the world to migrate.In the 19th century, it became the first industrialized city in Spain and the highest density European city at that time.

However, the small city of Barcelona could not withstand the urban prob lems arising from the rapid expansion of the population, so the Barcelona government decided to carry out a large-scale urban expansion plan.

In 1854, the city wall of Barcelona was demolished. In 1859, Ildefons CerdĂ , the main engineer, plans to build a new residential area between the city of Barcelona and the surrounding town, which is now the extension (L'Eixample).

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1.COURTYARD CerdĂ 's planning in the expansion area is spectacular and can even be said to be excessively rational. In the plan, he planed a neat square (113.3m*113.3m) and divided the extensions by two avenues (Avinguda Diagonal and Avinguda Meridiana). In each manzana, the apartment house is designed as an I-type, L-shaped or squat-type, which can connect the open spaces of each street to form a more comfortable park green space, while making each house have a good ventilation and lighting.

However, this ideal plan was not fully realized, and it was affected by real estate . At that time, there was no strict law, and the final building density was several times more than the original plan. The four-sided building was built in the street block.

Many courtyards are also occupied for parking and industrial use.

Cerda's plan of blocks

development of the blocks and courtyards -7-

It was not until the beginning of 2000 that the Government of Barcelona cooperated with many banks in Catalonia to establish the "Pro Eixample" Foundation. The foundation aims at CerdĂ 's original design and is committed to improving the courtyard to become an urban public green space. Currently, there are 50 improved courtyards in the extended area. The ultimate goal is to create one patio-garden for every nine blocks, and every citizen has a park within 200-m radius.

I selected eight of the Pro Eixample's improved courtyards as observations, each with its own characteristics, and trying to analyze the record.

map of the improved courtyards -8-

library as an urban gate

1. Biblioteca Sant Antoni - Joan Oliver

This project designed by RCR Arquitectes. The library, as a door and chill-out space for reading, retirement home, as a facade of public space, and the interior of the block as playground for children with spatial and relationship richness for a socially dynamic urban project.

Courtyard + Library + Elderly center

inside the courtyard

inside the library

the entrance of the courtyard -9-

community playground

water tower The Water Tower was built in the 1880s. Its inauguration took place in June 1882 when it reached 51 meters high and with 303 steps, it was the tallest building in Barcelona at the time. Its original function was to store and supply water to the city, taking advantage of the groundwater del Besos River.

2. Jardins de la Torre de les AigĂźes Courtyard + Water tower + Swimming pool

swimming pool

Nowadays it is not used anymore, and has become the landmark of this courtyard. Besides, it's a modestly sized area with a small paddling pool at the foot of the majestic water tower. It's a great place and a great alternative for parents who want to relax and stay refreshed with their children and avoiding the coast.

urban beach - 10 -

entrance conter

3. Jardins dels Tres Tombs

4.Jardins Antiga Carretera d'Horta

Courtyard + Citizen information office + Kindergarten

Courtyard + Citizen information office + Sports Center

community playground

sports center

WIFI everywhere - 11 -

landscaped entrance

5. Jardins de Tete Montoliu

6.Jardins del Rector Oliveras

Courtyard + Park + Community service center

Courtyard + Church

There is a composite community service center in the block, but after actually arriving at the scene, the community center is not directly connected to the atrium. It’s a pity.

courtyard as a park

good place for taking a rest

interior facade - 12 -

church and housing around the courtyard

7. Carrer de Ribes, 10X

8. Jardins de Clotilde CerdĂ

Courtyard + Primary School + Library + Supermarket

Courtyard + Basketball court

square as a playground

playground under construction

playing basketball - 13 -

mosaic wall

2.SUPERBLOCK In order to relieve the air and noise pollution caused by excessive cars, the city of Barcelona, announced a huge plan to re-plan the streets as “Super blocks�. It is a new model of mobility that restructures the typical urban road network.

With its implementation, Superblocks provide solutions to the main problems of urban mobility and improves both the availability and quality of the public space for pedestrian traffic.

Superblocks are made up of a grid of basic roads forming a polygon, some 400 by 400 meters, with both interior and exterior components. The interior is closed to motorized vehicles and above ground parking, and gives preference to pedestrian traffic in the public space. The exterior of Superblocks is where motorized traffic circulates, and makes up the basic roads.

This time, I choose the superblock of Poblenou as my observed object.The new functions inside the superblock can be easily classified in four categories: (1) Rest point / Most appear, mostly on the side of the road or corner (2) Play point / Need more space, usually located at the intersection (3) Sport area / Linear located on one road (4) Urban renewal area / Located at the entrance corner of entering superblock

Traditional blocks / single use : right of way - 14 -

Superblocks / multiple uses and functions

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Play Point The octagonal squares in Eixample, continue the function of the traditional square in the older parts of the city : a place for people to meet. This is exactly how the space is to be used inside the superblocks.

The redirection of the lane makes the intersection become an important game space, but it also causes circulations and parking problems.

T h e p l a yg r o u n d i n f r o n t o f m e d i a People usually park their cars illegally on company. sideroad.

Google streetview shows the past and present situations of one corner of Superilla del Poblenou. (2016 & 2017)

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Rest Point

Engineer who came out to eat at noon. People riding bicycles to work.

He pretty appreciates to have such a public space near his company.

Benches and plants on one side of the road.

Sport Area

80m track on the road

PingPong tables everywhere

Entering Superblock, speed limit of 10 km/hr for cars

Entering Superblock

Renewal Area

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Graffiti on ground

3.CORNER

Designing a street crossroads as a square to accommodate activites The chamfered corner is one of the best characterizes Barcelona’s Eixample grid.

Cerda considered street space as a place for human relations and designed a layout of streets and squares with junctions and chamfered corners for the orderly accommodation of activities, and kiosks as their furniture.

The chamfered corner became the chosen location for a whole range of furniture (newsstands, advertising and information points, monuments, urinals, fountains, benches, etc.) that has accumulated in the course of 150 years.

Cerda designed the crossroads to provide turning space for trams. In more recent years, the needs of transportation have come to the fore, particularly the car, with loading bays and parking zones.

The chamfered corner is a prime position for housing. ex: La Pedrera (1906-1912) - 18 -

Walking in the city can lead you on a small detour; it looks like a straight line on the map when in reality it is not. Although the view is clearer and safer when going around corners, it is also easier for tourists to get lost (like I did.)

Taichung Central District

Barcelona The Eixample

The corner space is not big enough

45 degree chamfered corner leaves a large space

Scooter / Street Vendor / Campaign Poster / Share bike Parking / Market Entrance

Easy to turn/park/park green/trash bin/share bike/dining /Worksite waste disposal area / MRT entrance - 19 -

Chamfered corner

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Chamfered corner

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4.STREET SECTION "The principle of indipendence of the different forms of movement in the urban thoroughfare."

The streets of Barcelona have a distinct hierarchy.

The largest of them all, the Avinguda Diagonal cuts through Barcelona as the main traffic artery, including a light rail system; it is also an important green belt space. The secondary roads follow the grid system, appearing in the form of one-way streets with various supporting functions.

The sidewalk plays a very important role in the pedestrian-centered city that is Barcelona.

When Cerda first started planning, he did not simply treat them as a mean of transportation, but also as a place where activities take place.

Sidewalk functions

Buried water pipeline and easily to be repaired

Large garbage disposal area Super large recycle garbage cans - 22 -

40m-wide avenue Avinguda Diagonal Avinguda Diagonal is the one of Barcelona's broadest and most important avenues. It cuts the city in two, diagonally with respect to the grid pattern of the surrounding streets.

On Avinguda Diagonal, many things can happen. it is more than an avenue. Bicycling , playing table tennis, taking tram, skating ,picnicking, taking a nap and so on. It is an avenue of living.

Bicycle path and sports space Tram rails on the green belt just in the middle of the avenue

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10m-wide street For the present, although the roads planned at that time were too narrow and only 6 meters wide, Barcelona government has fully utilized these road spaces to set up parking and public facilities. Furthermore, there is considerable space on both sides of the road to encourage people to walk and ride bikes. Quite a nice sidewalk.

a.

sidewalk bike lane

garbage/ recycle motorbike parking

one way traffic lane

garbage/ recycle motorbike parking

sidewalk

b.

one way one way traffic lane traffic lane

sidewalk

bus/taxi traffic lane

sidewalk

c.

a.Carrer de Provenรงa b.Carrer de Mallorca c.Carrer de Girona

s h a r e b i ke parking

sidewalk

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one way traffic lane

bike lane

sidewalk

Taichung Central District

Barcelona The Eixample old building reuse

signboard covering facade

street trees

veranda

sidewalk seating

bike lane soft interface

motorbike parking space

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5.DOUBLE ELEVATION An interesting discovery in Barcelona is that, under the grid system, I can find that the city is quite orderly when I walked among the city. There are neatly arranged apartments on both sides, with the same faรงade, the same balcony and window, and a rich European classical style.

According to residents, there is also a special law to stipulate that each building should have unified windows and style. It is known that the Barcelona government attaches great importance to the city.

The facade facing the city, it shapes the neat urban landscape.

Exterior Elevation

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Then everything becomes different than the outside when you’re in the courtyard. The inner facade surrounding the atrium is a portrayal of the life of the inhabitants. People drying their clothes, some smoking on the balcony, some added blinds for more shade, and there are plenty of traces of air-conditioning pipelines. This organic state corresponds to the personal needs, which also reminds me of the urban landscape of Taiwan.

Interior Elevation

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Walking on the road, you can feel the urban charm of the neat and tidy gridded city, and you can instantly enter the locals´ ordinary life when you take a turn into the atrium.

The contrast is shocking, and I am deeply impressed by its planning.

6.ROOF The roof is also an architectural space that tells about how people live.

In the past, the regulations did not strictly regulate the maximum build height, so that many houses were built one above the other. The history of the building height is as follows:

1860-1891 The 1891 Bylaws represent the approval and validation of the model begun bt Cerda, giving way to a model of a city block enclosed on four sides with a maximum buiit depth of 28m

By laws

by I.Cerda 1859

1892-1932 the ground floor was divided to create a mezzanine and semi-basement in the built area and the occupation of the inner courtyard up to a height of 5.5m(ground floor + mezzanine) for industrial purpose.

1860-1891

1891-1932

1933-1975 Increased levels of density with the appearance of a sixth storey A first and a second penthouse and the occupation of the semi-basement level in the inner courtyard

1932-1976

1976-2009 recovery period 1976 Bylaws, which marked a shift from the model of ground floor+ mezzanine + six upper floors+two penthouse floors to one of ground floor + mezzanine + five upper flooors

1976-2009

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When I came onto the roof of La Pedrera, Barcelona is no longer recognizable. The image of the city that was clean and flat disappeared.

The roof became another terrain filled with ups and downs. The difference in urban impression from the ground to the roof is truly overwhelming and exciting.

Of course, the strict regulations now prohibits such private constructions (illegal constructions). Still, the roofscape really reminds me of Taiwan’s private constructions, but the illegal energy seems to be too excessive; perhaps it is best to maintain a balance.

Vertical Extensions

View from the roof of Casa MilĂ - 29 -

ll. Public Space

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1.MARKET Cerda proposed a series of facilities laid out according to rational concept that included a social centre for each neighbourhood. And the market is definitely one of the most important public spaces.

In the Barcelona, the density of markets is quite high. It is not only a place where people buy food, but also an important social space. Its social importance ranks immediately after the library, which shows its necessity in people's life. One can probably call Barcelona “the city of markets�.

After staying here for nearly a month, I had been to several markets of different natures.

To the Catalans, markets are about more than shopping. They are the heart of every neighborhood, some neighbourhoods have 2 or 3 hearts. A market is never far away. And with it an opportunity to interact with merchants who know their products and know your name. You develop a relationship with them and they will remember what you like.

Market map planned by Cerda

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Taichung Second Market

Sant Antoni Market

built in 1917 The radial shape left three large squares in the street, but they were all filled up by the store.

At present, a corner has been released, but it has not been used well, and the effect is limited.Parking space, service lines, and sanitary conditions are still problems.

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built in 1882 This market has just been completed, and the market has released four large squares on the pavement, making it an important open space in high-density residential areas.

Sant Antoni Market Originally built in 1882, the market undergone nine years of repair and has just recently opened.

Air conditioning and equipment pipelines has been systematically reorganized, completed with updated sanitary hardware and an underground parking lot.

The refurbished space retains the original schematic of the traditional market in continuation of the close relationship between peoples.

The market exterior preserves the original style.

Big stairs and sunken plaza near market

Plenty of light inside the market

Equipments are neatly stored in the ceiling

Underground parking

Meet Chinese friends, they often come here to buy food

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The Encants Vells Flea Market The flea market requires a large open space, thus it is covered with a high roof; the metal ceiling reflects the activities below, and uses the spiral paths to bring people to higher grounds.

Santa Caterina Market As the first roofed traditional market in Barcelona, it was built in the 19th century. As time went by, available space ran out and environmental quality deteriorated. Therefore, the market is refurbished and displays the integration between old and new. They even preserved the monastery ruins from an earlier time, and dedicated a small museum next to the market.

This place used to be a monastery

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The history layering plans of the market

2.PARK

"Urbanize the rural and rurizing the urban."

The emergence of the park is obvious to meet the needs of urban residents for greenery. However, modern parks are no longer just a purely imitative state of nature, they begin to combine public functions, and there are differences in levels.

In Barcelona, there are many parks that were not planned to be parks from the start. Because of social and economic factors, many parks with different characteristics have been formed, and just need a small transformation, everywhere can be a park. Here, "Park" is a flexible word, as long as it can gather people, and make everyone relaxed and chat easily is a "park".

Ciutadella Park

Table tennis in the park

Rowing in a super tiny lake (just don't know why...)

The locals will just lay on the grass , quite relaxed

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Botanic garden in the park

Taichung Park

Ciutadella Pak

Simulated nature park / The public building is located on the outskirts of the park, creating the largest interior area of the simulated natural environment (trees, lakes, ruins)

Public park / Public buildings (government libraries, high schools, natural science museums, zoo) are integrated into the park, and the park becomes an important space for urban activities. built in 1877 Total area: 327,683m2 Total circumference: 2.23 km

built in 1903 Total area: 113,299m2 Total circumference: 1.31 km - 37 -

The Espanya Industrial Park this is a renovated space which was once occupied by a textile factory and was saved from being converted into apartment blocks, at the request of the local residents. It instead became a public park, whose vegetation and water provides environmental protection from an area that suffers from a heavy traffic.

Meet some Chinese students there

EnteHigh ceilings as the hall of the The large sculpture of the park is the The remains of the textile factory are It is common to see children are station square favorite place to the kids combined with the pool swimming in this big pool

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Taichung Railway Station

Barcelona Sants Station

In front of the railway station, it is the hub of all mass transit transportation, but because of the small hinterland of the square, it becomes a dark area of traffic.

On the three sides of the station, there is a vast open space.

Between the station and the private houses, the parks and the squares are used as a in-between space to connect public and private.

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Diagonal Mar Park A large park under the collective housing and office building. Designed by EMBT.

Clot Park Formerly a railway and a station, it is not used now. The design combines historical monuments with parks to become a unique civic space.

Nord station Park Renovation of the park next to the station, creating a flowing landscape for people to communicate.

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Parks everywhere and Everywhere can be parks

Street decoration for festival

Children playground

square decoration for festival

Park for walking dogs

Community gym converted from abandoned factory

Seat combined with sidewalk

Playground near the sea

walking dog also meet new friend

Large open space underneath the Natural Science Museum

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Soccer field under the viaduct

3.LINEAR OPEN SPACE Icaria Avenue Designed by Carme Pinos and Enric Miralles. The immense sump that lies below the length of this stretch made it impossible to plant the trees on the road. However the needs of green spaces in this area led the architects to propose alternatives that made reference to the presence of trees.

Thus the architects projected a series of giant elements which, like trees ,grow, lean and twist irregularly,generating shadows and filtering the sun, sky and nearby buildings.

Constructed in painted steel and wood, this artificial object that is somewhere between nature and architecture. Rather than being a simple object of urban decoration, this is a structuring element of the urban landscape that brings to the space great expressive strength. And it has become one of the favorite place for skateboarders.

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LiuChuan Canal

Linear space, compensates for covered ground that can not be greenified.

The river is covered and the ground is used as a parking tower.

Icaria Avenue

The The immense sump that lies below the length of this stretch made it impossible to plant the trees on the road.

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Self intro CHU, HUNG - YU

朱弘煜

hungyu1995@gmail.com (+886)912-051-127

PROJECT BACKGROUND

EDUCATION

Because I study in architecture, observation of the city has become my greatest interest. Through sketching and photography, I recorded the city where I've been to.

Bachelor of Architecture Design National Cheng Kung University 國立成功大學 - Tainan,Taiwan Sep,2014 - Jun,2019

EXPERIENCES

Taichung is a city with a clear urban development.

And this project starts with my high school commute experience.

Every time I went to Taichung central district, I got traffic jams.

The urban senery there is quite different from the Taichung I know. Easily to see ruined buildings and destroyed building facade, which make me curious about the evolution of this area.

2016/ 07-09 2018/ 01-02 2018/ 09-12

2017 / 2018 sem1

Thank OUT scholarship give me this chance to go to adventure. After 20 days of travel in Barcelona, I saw the planning of a great urban city. I will continue the observation of this project and apply it to the thesis design .

Ospace Architecture( 究境建築 ) internship AMBi Studio( 立聯合建築師事務所 ) internship Harmony-design Studio( 和光接物 ) internship National University of Singapore exchange student

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2015/07

For me, the city is the condensation of the collective memory of the citizens. Urban development or urban renewal must follow the context of the city. Only with a deep understanding of the city can the memory be passed on across generations.

2018/12 Hung-Yu

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2nd prize / 中建海峽盃 student constructure competition,Fuzhou

2016/07

2nd prize / SSS structural design competition,Tokyo

2017

Presidential award / NCKU Dept. Architecture academic excellence