PASSEIG SANT JOAN

designer: Teresa Gali-Izard and Lola Domènech year: 2012 (Phase I), 2016 (Phase II) description: The project is a 1 km streetscape design connecting Arc de Triomf to the Avinguda Diagonal. The design creates generous walking and lingering space on Passeig Sant Joan. Restaurants’ outdoor seating blends with the deployment of public benches, creating fluid exchanges between public and private realms. The way the public benches interact with street trees and shrubs creates diverse types of living rooms that can accommodate various sizes of group clusters while making solitary individuals at ease in the streetscape. The bench is made with thick slabs of wood with nicely polished surfaces and steel armrests, removing the cheapness that is usually observed in public benches, serving whoever appropriates the bench with a sense of comfort and dignity. 133m