The Antònia Vilàs gardens are located in the Barceloneta neighbourhood, on a plot bordered by Balboa and Ginebra Streets and two residential buildings. Barcelona City Council plans to create a new public space through a citizen participation process. As a result, a needs program and the first drafts of the project are generated. The participation sessions serve to define the new character of this space. This must be a garden where there are spaces to play, spaces to be, a fountain and an enclosure where several cooperatives in the neighbourhood can plant a vegetable garden.
To the sum of requirements from the residents, the conditions of the technical services of the City Council are added, such as the accessibility of people and maintenance vehicles and others; the relationship with the neighbouring buildings, both from the point of view of the views of the garden towards the building and of the houses towards the garden; and other environmental factors specific to the site such as sunshine and topography.
With all these premises, the project is conceived as a succession of smaller-scale spaces where a whole series of elements capable of being game elements and expressly designed are strategically placed within this elongated lot. This succession of spaces forms a zigzag concrete pavement route that crosses the entire garden and goes from street to street, making the entire garden accessible. The different episodes aim to recreate possible sequences and experiences that can be had in a garden. Scenes are constructed in a variety of ways, either from vegetation; of carpets on the soft floor in gravel, sand or earth; of the various metallic elements; of rubber topographies that emerge from the ground; of real rocks that go from being stranded on the sand to climbing up a scratched concrete wall; or of a future vegetable roof supported by two cross porticoes. The playful design of space allows us to create a new conception of public space where the various elements that make it up do not necessarily have a single defined function and where the various elements can be used differently by different users. In this sense, it aims to be an allegation of public space as a place where children and adults can meet and live experiences freely.
Vegetation is one of the most important materials present in the site in order to enhance the character of the garden, always under the premise that the use of vegetation does not invalidate the use of space. This is why the carpets of vegetation are strategically placed in order to create the different atmospheres of the scenes. In the case of the longitudinal limits of the space, a vegetable hedge formed by eugenias, pomegranate trees, choisyas and Japanese quince separates us from the residential buildings. The mostly deciduous aerial vegetation such as the trees (tamari and sophoras), the palm tree and the vegetable pergola formed by wisteria and bignonia, will filter the sunlight and generate in the coming years, apart from privacy regarding views from above, a good atmosphere in the garden.
The chromaticism of the garden varies throughout the year, enhancing the idea of different episodes thanks to the vegetation. Species with deciduous leaves or with coloring in their leaves such as forsythia, wisteria or nandina are an example. The chromaticism given by the vegetation is added to those of the elements and pavements of the garden where the colours are present.
