WAITING FOR THE CITY’S ARRIVAL

URBAN DESIGN IN BARCELONA: WETLAND CORRIDOR

This project aims to unite the city, the mountain, and the sea with wetland ecology. Barcelona is a city that lacks rain but is not in shortage of groundwater resources. The aquifers in Barcelona extend beyond Besos and Llobregat River’s boundary and forms a widespread web beneath the surface of the city, supporting all kinds of urban activities and ecologies. The most significant natural watershed divider in the urban area - both aboveground and below ground, is the terrain of Mt. Juic. While the site confronts the dramatic topographic change of the mountain and embraces intriguing moments of water movement, this project seeks to collect, transport, and infiltrate rainwater and urban runoff through wetlands that recharge/connect the two river’s aquifers. In reciprocity, the aquifers also feed the wetland and the plant communities assembled on the site. The in-betweenness of the Mountain and the sea becomes an opportunity to create a series of wetland conditions with a gradient of moisture and salinity. This project also hopes by integrating diverse wetland habitats with architectural design tactics and programming strategies, the massive flow of people on La Ramblas can be attracted to the site and enliven the once grey and barren landscape.

*This is a group project done with Valerie Speirs (B. Arch, 2023). All the drawings included in this portfolio are done by myself unless marked otherwise.