PARQUE MAR
This commission is part of an initiative by the Ajuntament de Barcelona called “Ciutat Jugable,” aimed at incorporating a more inclusive perspective in the city’s play areas and encouraging outdoor play.
The site is located in Parc del Poblenou, at the end of the old town of Poblenou and the Vila Olímpica. It is a large pine forest that incorporates dunes, which become more frequent as they approach the sea, protecting the park from the easterly winds.
We propose a play area that does not segregate children by age or ability and is perceived as a natural extension of the park. For this reason, the play area extends over the existing slope, with furniture and various elements scattered to avoid any sense of confinement, boundaries, or the inside/outside dichotomy.
This new play area is designed by the Ajuntament using catalog elements to speed up execution and certification processes.
The intention is to avoid the repetition of these elements and instead place them in less conventional locations to create a more natural play area. The natural slope is used to install elements that take advantage of the change in elevation, such as the slide or the climbing forest. In the flat area, new topography is introduced to prevent the “hamsterization” of play elements. Rest areas are interspersed between play zones to expand the age range of users, extend the hours of use, and encourage spontaneous activities not tied to a specific action.
We incorporate shaded areas with vegetation and pergolas, whose design is unified with the circular-shaped multi-swing to reinforce the idea of continuity with the park. These forms reference traditional park structures such as gazebos.
The proposed materiality also seeks a conceptual continuity with the park. The exposed aggregate concrete walls with visible gravel are a recurring feature, and certain pavement areas with the same finish are repeated along the esplanade connecting the park to the city.
White-painted structures also appear frequently throughout the park. The required inclusion of rubber flooring for accessibility in play areas is resolved using tones that blend with the surrounding soil, seeking an indeterminate boundary between different uses.
Vegetation is introduced to reinforce the idea that the play area is integrated into nature. Six trees will be planted—some in the flat area and others at the top of the slope. Shrubs adapted to the proximity of the sea will be placed on its slope, and climbing plants will be planted on one of the pergolas to eventually replace the current awning. This intervention is pending execution, as vegetation planting was interrupted due to the exceptional drought.
