AELAND: The objective of the landscape proposal, was to connect an existing plot and building (The Hangar) with a new one (The Line). The idea was to create an interval space that would answer to the requirements of the circulations between the two buildings but also it would create a pleasant, green area that would be used by the employees as a break area. The first thing to do was to define the circulations for the pedestrians as well as for the firemen. After defining these paths, the information was introduced into a graphical algorithm editor in order to self-organize and optimise the required circulations of the employees between the two buildings, depending on the distance between them. Our next intention was to create green areas of different sizes between them. These green areas also “hug” the buildings and depending on the perspective of each one of them, they are organised in low vegetation areas and forest areas. Every green area/dune has a different topography, this allows us to transmit the flat grey perspective into a green scenery with dunes and small valleys.
It has been completed the first phase of the project, which is concentrated mainly on the entrance of the plot (14.448 m²). The green areas or dunes with ground covering plants are composed mainly of shrubs and perennials that maintain their appearance throughout the year, with subtle variations such as the flowering of Cotoneaster dammeri in spring or its red fruits in winter. Among these perennial masses, groups of other species with more seasonal interest, as is the case of Verbena bonariensis or Perovskia atriplicifolia, as well as some grasses such as Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’, which bring interest from spring until well into the autumn, to spend the winter low pruned, giving prominence to the evergreen shrubs, especially to the different varieties of Juniperus with their different shades of green and blue. Different species of oaks (Quercus cerrioides, Quercus cerris and Quercus rubra) form a grove in front of the building, while, on the edge of the street, a group of birches (Betula pendula) filters the views both from the interior to this and au contraire.
Landscape Design: AELAND
Project location: C/ Via Augusta, 109, 08184 Palau-Solità i Plegamans, Barcelona, Spain
Design year: 2013
Year Built: 2016
Photographer: José Hevia
