02 ENMESHING GROUNDS

This chapter explores how public space existing terrain and creates public centers ferent neighborhoods to the once

Barcelona is a city that has its natural boundaries and constraints. As the settlements and city started their journey near the coast, the urban expansion hits a terrain barrier inland - the Collserola mountain range. At the edge where the city touches the foot of the mountain is a series of hilly landscapes that is occupied by both planned neighborhoods and informal settlements.

space design grounds itself in the centers that draw and connect difonce (near) inaccessible terrain.

Neighborhoods such as Sarria, Gracia, and Horta ground themselves within the undulating terrain, adapting their structures and roads to the crowded contour lines.

Public space and recreation centers also need to accommodate themselves to the dramatic elevation change, transforming topographic changes from obstacles into opportunities.

How are terrain mitigated, utilized, or perhaps amplified, is the focus of the following analyses.

designer: MBM Arquitectes artist: Eduardo Chillida and Ellsworth Kelly year: 1992, part of the Olympic revitalization plan description: The park is located on one of the topographic high points of the hilly Gràcia neighborhood. The site was once a stone quarry, deeply carved into the ground, creating a flat bottom and steep surrounding arms that warps around the park. The park uses a main water feature and terraces to embrace the topography of the old quarry. On the other side of the mountain which is not impacted by quarrying activities, a network of trails circulates and connects to the park. The park and the trail design transform the terrain from an obstacle to a popular destination and gathering space, enlivening the neighborhood with the experience it curates and the activities it facilitates.