Collective rooftops of Barcelona as new entertainment spaces
“All started on a summer evening on one of the terraces of Tarragona when my friends and I asked ourselves why city rooftops are almost never used”, - say architects from Encajes Urbanos group, - There are so many things to do, such as residents meetings, arranging of parties, summer cinemas and concerts, sports (for example, yoga), placing gardens and flowers”.
That is how the “Collective Rooftops” (Azoteas Colectivas) project started. The aim of the project is to create special communal areas uniting residents on the rooftops of Barcelona. “Rooftops were widely used earlier, but recently they have lost their functionality”, - explains Tanya Magro, an architect from “Encajes Urbanos”. Now the word “rooftop” is normally associated with air conditioning, satellite dishes and electricity meters installed on it.
A team of architects from “Encajes Urbanos” changes and vivifies city rooftops within the framework of the project; they carry out reconstruction works, tackle safety issues (by installing handrails and balustrades), carry out light and water installation, bring furniture and make the spaces green. Much attention is paid to ecological use of the rooftops, such as solar panel and rain collection system installation.
More than ten resident communities in Barcelona have already shown their interest towards the new project. According to the results of a poll conducted by “Encajes Urbanos”, 90% of the residents never use their rooftops, 5% use them on rare occasions, yet 95% of the surveyed like the idea.
Other rooftops usage initiatives are also known in Barcelona. For example, “Coincidències” project aiming at organizing concerts and theatrical performances on the rooftops of the city.
The city administration of Barcelona allocates city budget funds for rooftop renovation and considers a question of making them more eco-friendly. According to city authorities, almost 70% of rooftops could become green spaces (it is 1764,4 hectares of space). That means that the rooftops of Barcelona will be equipped and very demanded.
