Reconnecting with nature
RECOVERY OF THE INDUSTRIAL GARDEN
RECOVERY AND RESTORATION OF THE INDUSTRIAL GARDEN, A SOCIAL AND LANDSCAPE PROJECT
Central-Cornellà is a historic complex where the industrial garden, a unique example in the region, has been recovered and restored. The objective is to obtain a sustainable and ecological place, maintaining it’s original industrial water function. The process of museumisation of the facilities, which continues to maintain the original use, is valued with the restoration of the industrial garden.
EU Member State, Western Balkans or Ukraine
Spain
Regional
CATALONIA
BARCELONA
BARCELONA
No
No
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
2021-01-01
No
No
No
As a representative of an organisation
The industrial garden of 'Central Cornellà' is a unique existing example in our territory. This 11-hectare site with the Museu de les Aigües has become a benchmark in education promoting the values of water. The 'Central Cornellá' is AGBAR's main historical asset with a practically unique fact: more than a century after its construction, the plant continues to perform the same function for which it was built, the extraction of water from the Llobregat River aquifer and its impulsion to the Barcelona water network.
Aiming to integrate and recover the industrial garden into the heritage complex, the restoration project was based on different axes. The main one is to continue it´s industrial function but adding the environmental and landscape interpretation of the surroundings and it´s didactic value, integrating the heritage and the installation of different emblematic fountains, most outstanding being the Gaudí Waterfall. Different institutions were involved in the initial process.
The recovery of the industrial garden is part of an integral project of improvement, restoration and conditioning at a heritage and a landscape level. The aim is to conserve and the garden as a cultural asset and make it more accessible (Florence Charter 1981, UNESCO).
For the recovery of the space, water is the main sustainable and resilient element linked to the mitigation of the environmental challenges, resource scarcity and meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals SDGs. This is why we use various innovative systems and traditional techniques based on nature that improve drainage, agriculture and in turn recharge the water level as the aquifer.
The most positive impact of the project is the opening of a large space that was previously closed to the public. This has brought a larger public engaging in social activities whilst surrounded by nature in the middle of an urban area.
Aiming to integrate and recover the industrial garden into the heritage complex, the restoration project was based on different axes. The main one is to continue it´s industrial function but adding the environmental and landscape interpretation of the surroundings and it´s didactic value, integrating the heritage and the installation of different emblematic fountains, most outstanding being the Gaudí Waterfall. Different institutions were involved in the initial process.
The recovery of the industrial garden is part of an integral project of improvement, restoration and conditioning at a heritage and a landscape level. The aim is to conserve and the garden as a cultural asset and make it more accessible (Florence Charter 1981, UNESCO).
For the recovery of the space, water is the main sustainable and resilient element linked to the mitigation of the environmental challenges, resource scarcity and meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals SDGs. This is why we use various innovative systems and traditional techniques based on nature that improve drainage, agriculture and in turn recharge the water level as the aquifer.
The most positive impact of the project is the opening of a large space that was previously closed to the public. This has brought a larger public engaging in social activities whilst surrounded by nature in the middle of an urban area.
Sustainable and social design
Landscape historical garden recovery
Didactic and pedagogical added value
Social identity of the place since 150 years ago
Sustainability, scarcity resources as water, SuDS and NbS Nature based solutions
It is renaturalised with strategies for capturing and reusing water on site using sustainable and resilient solutions based on nature, passive solutions with low or no maintenance. This maximises soil permeability, infiltration and rainwater retention and achieves a circular, sustainable and waste-free cycle. Water footprint and water stress are minimised. Public space is used to capture and collect water, urban elements to produce energy and gardens to improve the ecosystem, while the used materials have minimal CO2 consumption.
The work carried out is part of a comprehensive project for the improvement, restoration and conditioning of the architectural, heritage and landscape of the Parc de les Aigües, preserving the memory of the site, which is a sensitive and unique territory due to several factors such as its natural water reserve aquifer, its buildings and the existing industrial garden.
The objectives set as architects to AGBAR were mainly to recover the park and its values, as well as its industrial and architectural heritage in order to adapt and obtain a pleasant, ecological garden space as well as be an example in terms of sustainability (combating climate change) and innovation, both for the company and for the visitor, and also to be a didactic tool, forming a water culture.
The holistic vision for the park is to create and improve a space with a lasting, optimistic, ecological, functional and environmentally friendly idea that respects the environment and the existing inherited elements. Furthermore, to renaturalise with nature-based techniques that allow for closed, circular and resilient cycles. The closed cycles become the added value of the garden, linked to landscape sustainability processes and to the different water drainage systems.
The work carried out is part of a comprehensive project for the improvement, restoration and conditioning of the architectural, heritage and landscape of the Parc de les Aigües, preserving the memory of the site, which is a sensitive and unique territory due to several factors such as its natural water reserve aquifer, its buildings and the existing industrial garden.
The objectives set as architects to AGBAR were mainly to recover the park and its values, as well as its industrial and architectural heritage in order to adapt and obtain a pleasant, ecological garden space as well as be an example in terms of sustainability (combating climate change) and innovation, both for the company and for the visitor, and also to be a didactic tool, forming a water culture.
The holistic vision for the park is to create and improve a space with a lasting, optimistic, ecological, functional and environmentally friendly idea that respects the environment and the existing inherited elements. Furthermore, to renaturalise with nature-based techniques that allow for closed, circular and resilient cycles. The closed cycles become the added value of the garden, linked to landscape sustainability processes and to the different water drainage systems.
The project has a very positive impact on the environment. La Central Cornellá forms part of the vital landscape for many people in Cornellà de Llobregat and the surrounding area, not only because it is a unique element of the city, but also because of the many generations who have worked and lived around it, thus improving the social fabric. In 2004, the opening of the Museu de les Aigües meant that the doors of this heritage element were opened to all citizens to explain something so simple while at the same time so complex, the management of the water cycle from this fundamental place. In 2019, the opening of the industrial garden added a new outdoor space with the capacity to deepen the stories around sustainability and climate change, providing a space for activities linked to the discovery of the environment and encouraging interactions between people and nature.
The museum has consolidated a number of visitors of more than 50,000 people, a significant part of them schoolchildren, who, through their visit, are linked in some way to the heritage and the intrinsic stories it carries.
The museum has consolidated a number of visitors of more than 50,000 people, a significant part of them schoolchildren, who, through their visit, are linked in some way to the heritage and the intrinsic stories it carries.
The project's intervention with the restoration of the garden as a cultural asset, an open-air space became accessible to deepen our knowledge of sustainability, water and climate change and to encourage interaction with nature. A space that is added to the museographic space of the Museu de les Aigües where the importance of the water cycle can be explained to visitors and the social environment.
Visitors can experience the space where they can enjoy the atmosphere of a green enclosure with an industrial garden with values on different levels. The standards of the site vary at different levels, from a natural (agricultural, territorial, ecological) and architectural context.
The added value of the experience of the visits is mainly related to the emotion of the didactic knowledge linked to water management, and this is open to public, citizens and educational centre's as schools and universities.
The project is part of the comprehensive renovation of the site planned and built in successive phases. The first phase was followed by a museographic action for the exhibition. In the second phase, the circular water tank was transformed into the auditorium Ágora, preserving its authenticity, and the building was rearranged around it (2000). In the third phase, designed and executed by the authors of this candidacy (2015-22), the industrial garden, unique examp in Catalonia, and other necessary areas of the park were arranged to improve its functionality and landscape integration. This phase is the most important to complete a continuous evolution of the site and because of its visual context for the company in issues related to the social, innovation, environmental sustainability and water.
Visitors can experience the space where they can enjoy the atmosphere of a green enclosure with an industrial garden with values on different levels. The standards of the site vary at different levels, from a natural (agricultural, territorial, ecological) and architectural context.
The added value of the experience of the visits is mainly related to the emotion of the didactic knowledge linked to water management, and this is open to public, citizens and educational centre's as schools and universities.
The project is part of the comprehensive renovation of the site planned and built in successive phases. The first phase was followed by a museographic action for the exhibition. In the second phase, the circular water tank was transformed into the auditorium Ágora, preserving its authenticity, and the building was rearranged around it (2000). In the third phase, designed and executed by the authors of this candidacy (2015-22), the industrial garden, unique examp in Catalonia, and other necessary areas of the park were arranged to improve its functionality and landscape integration. This phase is the most important to complete a continuous evolution of the site and because of its visual context for the company in issues related to the social, innovation, environmental sustainability and water.
The project has a very positive impact on the environment. La Central Cornellá forms part of the vital landscape for many people in Cornellà de Llobregat and the surrounding area, not only because it is a unique element of the city, but also because of the many generations who have worked and lived around it, thus improving the social fabric. In 2004, the opening of the Museu de les Aigües meant that the doors of this heritage element were opened to all citizens to explain something so simple while at the same time so complex, the management of the water cycle from this fundamental place. In 2019, the opening of the industrial garden added a new outdoor space with the capacity to deepen the stories around sustainability and climate change, providing a space for activities linked to the discovery of the environment and encouraging interactions between people and nature.
The museum has consolidated a number of visitors of more than 50,000 people, a significant part of them schoolchildren, who, through their visit, are linked in some way to the heritage and the intrinsic stories it carries.
The museum has consolidated a number of visitors of more than 50,000 people, a significant part of them schoolchildren, who, through their visit, are linked in some way to the heritage and the intrinsic stories it carries.
The project is part of the comprehensive renovation of the site planned and built in successive phases. The first phase was followed by a museographic action for the exhibition. In the second phase, the circular water tank was transformed into the auditorium Ágora, preserving its authenticity, and the building was rearranged around it (2000). In the third phase, designed and executed by the authors of this candidacy (2015-19), the industrial garden, the only one in Catalonia, and other necessary areas of the park were arranged to improve its functionality and landscape integration. This phase is the most important to complete a continuous evolution of the site and because of its visual context for the AGBAR company in issues related to the social network, innovation, environmental sustainability and water.
The initial reflection project involved institutions such as the Agbar Foundation, XATIC (Xarxa turismo industrial Catalunya), as well as an interdisciplinary group of experts from institutions such as the Universitat Autònoma UAB, Universitat de Barcelona UB, MNAC, Cosmocaixa, Museu Història de Barcelona MUHBA, Càtedra Gaudí, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya UPC.
The initial reflection project involved institutions such as the Agbar Foundation, XATIC (Xarxa turismo industrial Catalunya), as well as an interdisciplinary group of experts from institutions such as the Universitat Autònoma UAB, Universitat de Barcelona UB, MNAC, Cosmocaixa, Museu Història de Barcelona MUHBA, Càtedra Gaudí, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya UPC.
The restoration and rehabilitation project of the industrial garden and the rest of the built space of the Central Cornellá, is a reference within the European water and industrial heritage, for being a living element and the musealisation of the facilities of a factory that continues to maintain the original purpose for which it was built. It is also the only industrial garden in the region.
During the design process there were many experts involved in the project until social civil people. As experts the project reflect many inputs as Biologists, ecologists, ecosystem and environmental engineers, sustainability experts, water management. Until social and civil people from the society local and regional and also the neighborhood.
Several institutions were involved in the initial reflection project and professional figures creating an interdisciplinary team that enriches and adds to the value to the design.
During the design process there were many experts involved in the project until social civil people. As experts the project reflect many inputs as Biologists, ecologists, ecosystem and environmental engineers, sustainability experts, water management. Until social and civil people from the society local and regional and also the neighborhood.
Several institutions were involved in the initial reflection project and professional figures creating an interdisciplinary team that enriches and adds to the value to the design.
At first glance the results may not be quite visible, however, they are key to obtaining an industrial garden and a reference environment, contributing to a sustainable landscaped space, in balance with the ecosystem, as well as integrating the buildings and historical elements.
The knowledge acquired and the environmental improvement is summarised in the 'paradigm shift' in water management. Drainage management in cities is an age-old problem. There is a model of the city in which rainwater withdraws into the sewers, to enter the underground network invisible to the citizen, cutting off the visible links with the natural cycle, the sewage networks carry it to lakes, rivers and sea.
The 'hydrological cycle' is a well-known yet not very visible phenomenon. Floods and erosion are a direct consequence from the excess of the natural hydrological cycle. This is due to the continuity of large impermeable surfaces, altering the wáter cycles and trajectories. Considering the hydrological cycle is essential when thinking about the gardens design. Another model of the city and it´s current situation deserves consideration (climate change, resource scarcity). A city where rainwater can flow through a drainage system. A model where we return the water to the surface, letting it coexist with the citizen and improve the landscape. The water that falls on the surface of the perimeter is collected as byproduct, or channelled to lower areas recharging aquifer. This temporary water retention avoids problems at runoff concentration points.
The Industrial Garden Landscape restoration is using native, Mediterranean plants with low water requirements. Rainwater collection done by techniques of ground retention and infiltration and the aquifer (drainage ditches, permeable pavements, filtering drains) is reflected in the vegetation and the low maintenance of the green infrastructure.
The knowledge acquired and the environmental improvement is summarised in the 'paradigm shift' in water management. Drainage management in cities is an age-old problem. There is a model of the city in which rainwater withdraws into the sewers, to enter the underground network invisible to the citizen, cutting off the visible links with the natural cycle, the sewage networks carry it to lakes, rivers and sea.
The 'hydrological cycle' is a well-known yet not very visible phenomenon. Floods and erosion are a direct consequence from the excess of the natural hydrological cycle. This is due to the continuity of large impermeable surfaces, altering the wáter cycles and trajectories. Considering the hydrological cycle is essential when thinking about the gardens design. Another model of the city and it´s current situation deserves consideration (climate change, resource scarcity). A city where rainwater can flow through a drainage system. A model where we return the water to the surface, letting it coexist with the citizen and improve the landscape. The water that falls on the surface of the perimeter is collected as byproduct, or channelled to lower areas recharging aquifer. This temporary water retention avoids problems at runoff concentration points.
The Industrial Garden Landscape restoration is using native, Mediterranean plants with low water requirements. Rainwater collection done by techniques of ground retention and infiltration and the aquifer (drainage ditches, permeable pavements, filtering drains) is reflected in the vegetation and the low maintenance of the green infrastructure.
The holistic vision for the park is to create and improve a space with a lasting, optimistic, ecological, functional and environmentally friendly idea that respects the environment and the existing inherited elements. Furthermore, to renaturalise with nature-based techniques that allow for closed, circular and resilient cycles. The closed cycles become the added value of the garden, linked to landscape sustainability processes and to the different water drainage systems. The essence of each intervention proposed as architects is based on the 'crossing of scales' which consists of simultaneously designing the whole and the detail to obtain a complete project.
The methodology used is called 'learning by doing' and a division of phases of the project in function of the results.
Within the industrial garden the landscape restoration is carried out by using traditional techniques (gardening and agriculture) and native vegetation with low water requirements. Systems of ground collection, conduction, retention and infiltration are used (drainage ditches, infiltration wells, permeable paving, filtering drains).
The hotel is made of natural materials, the butterfly garden is a dynamic mosaic of low vegetation. The new access and parking uses a SUDS Sustainable Urban Drainage System based on the natural water cycle (geocells, permeable pavement and hydroboxes). The existing water tank is integrated within the landscape with a vertical garden attached on stainless steel cables, changing from an inert and apathetic building to an ecological and didactic building. For the Plaza and improvement of the Museum's area, elements are incorporated to mitigate the heat island, such as new surfaces with permeable prefabricated paving on porous draining concrete bases.
The methodology used is called 'learning by doing' and a division of phases of the project in function of the results.
Within the industrial garden the landscape restoration is carried out by using traditional techniques (gardening and agriculture) and native vegetation with low water requirements. Systems of ground collection, conduction, retention and infiltration are used (drainage ditches, infiltration wells, permeable paving, filtering drains).
The hotel is made of natural materials, the butterfly garden is a dynamic mosaic of low vegetation. The new access and parking uses a SUDS Sustainable Urban Drainage System based on the natural water cycle (geocells, permeable pavement and hydroboxes). The existing water tank is integrated within the landscape with a vertical garden attached on stainless steel cables, changing from an inert and apathetic building to an ecological and didactic building. For the Plaza and improvement of the Museum's area, elements are incorporated to mitigate the heat island, such as new surfaces with permeable prefabricated paving on porous draining concrete bases.
The project investigates and applies different systems for the sustainable use of water based on nature and the hydrological cycle: green façades, rain gardens, green ditches, filtering drains, permeable paving and hydroboxes.The garden is the framework of the intervention, which is why we investigate it´s origin.
There are many areas in all the cities and villages that have industrial heritage gardens to be implemented for the society. The technologies and techniques used area replicable in all the projects and areas, even to the most small garden, it is possible to make a place to be.
Within the industrial garden the landscape restoration is carried out by using traditional techniques (gardening and agriculture) and native vegetation with low water requirements. Systems of ground collection, conduction, retention and infiltration are used (drainage ditches, infiltration wells, permeable paving, filtering drains).
The hotel is made of natural materials, the butterfly garden is a dynamic mosaic of low vegetation. The new access and parking uses a SUDS Sustainable Urban Drainage System based on the natural water cycle (geocells, permeable pavement and hydroboxes). The existing water tank is integrated within the landscape with a vertical garden attached on stainless steel cables, changing from an inert and apathetic building to an ecological and didactic building. For the Plaza and improvement of the Museum's area, elements are incorporated to mitigate the heat island, such as new surfaces with permeable prefabricated paving on porous draining concrete bases.
All this solutions can be used for other sites.
There are many areas in all the cities and villages that have industrial heritage gardens to be implemented for the society. The technologies and techniques used area replicable in all the projects and areas, even to the most small garden, it is possible to make a place to be.
Within the industrial garden the landscape restoration is carried out by using traditional techniques (gardening and agriculture) and native vegetation with low water requirements. Systems of ground collection, conduction, retention and infiltration are used (drainage ditches, infiltration wells, permeable paving, filtering drains).
The hotel is made of natural materials, the butterfly garden is a dynamic mosaic of low vegetation. The new access and parking uses a SUDS Sustainable Urban Drainage System based on the natural water cycle (geocells, permeable pavement and hydroboxes). The existing water tank is integrated within the landscape with a vertical garden attached on stainless steel cables, changing from an inert and apathetic building to an ecological and didactic building. For the Plaza and improvement of the Museum's area, elements are incorporated to mitigate the heat island, such as new surfaces with permeable prefabricated paving on porous draining concrete bases.
All this solutions can be used for other sites.
At first glance the results may not be quite visible, however, they are key to obtaining an industrial garden and a reference environment, contributing to a sustainable landscaped space, in balance with the ecosystem, as well as integrating the buildings and historical elements.
The knowledge acquired and the environmental improvement is summarised in the 'paradigm shift' in water management. Drainage management in cities is an age-old problem. There is a model of the city in which rainwater withdraws into the sewers, to enter the underground network invisible to the citizen, cutting off the visible links with the natural cycle, the sewage networks carry it to lakes, rivers and sea.
The 'hydrological cycle' is a well-known yet not very visible phenomenon. Floods and erosion are a direct consequence from the excess of the natural hydrological cycle. This is due to the continuity of large impermeable surfaces, altering the wáter cycles and trajectories. Considering the hydrological cycle is essential when thinking about the gardens design. Another model of the city and it´s current situation deserves consideration (climate change, resource scarcity). A city where rainwater can flow through a drainage system. A model where we return the water to the surface, letting it coexist with the citizen and improve the landscape. The water that falls on the surface of the perimeter is collected as byproduct, or channelled to lower areas recharging aquifer. This temporary water retention avoids problems at runoff concentration points.
The Industrial Garden, Landscape restoration is appreciated using native Mediterranean plants with low water requirements. Rainwater collection done by techniques of ground retention and infiltration and the aquifer, without public sewer connection(drainage ditches, permeable pavements, filtering drains) is reflected in the vegetation and the low maintenance of the green infrastructure.
The knowledge acquired and the environmental improvement is summarised in the 'paradigm shift' in water management. Drainage management in cities is an age-old problem. There is a model of the city in which rainwater withdraws into the sewers, to enter the underground network invisible to the citizen, cutting off the visible links with the natural cycle, the sewage networks carry it to lakes, rivers and sea.
The 'hydrological cycle' is a well-known yet not very visible phenomenon. Floods and erosion are a direct consequence from the excess of the natural hydrological cycle. This is due to the continuity of large impermeable surfaces, altering the wáter cycles and trajectories. Considering the hydrological cycle is essential when thinking about the gardens design. Another model of the city and it´s current situation deserves consideration (climate change, resource scarcity). A city where rainwater can flow through a drainage system. A model where we return the water to the surface, letting it coexist with the citizen and improve the landscape. The water that falls on the surface of the perimeter is collected as byproduct, or channelled to lower areas recharging aquifer. This temporary water retention avoids problems at runoff concentration points.
The Industrial Garden, Landscape restoration is appreciated using native Mediterranean plants with low water requirements. Rainwater collection done by techniques of ground retention and infiltration and the aquifer, without public sewer connection(drainage ditches, permeable pavements, filtering drains) is reflected in the vegetation and the low maintenance of the green infrastructure.
The results and the knowledge acquired can be distributed in the following ways:
- Promoting insight and knowledge through education around water linked to the Museu de les Aigües. Education and values are promoted from a vital and playful experience.
- Experiencing a visit and seeing the environmental improvement of the flora and fauna habitat. The ecosystem has been restored and the results are visible all year.
- Recovers a unique space for the environment with a historical identity for the city of Cornellá and Barcelona.
- The industrial garden becomes the place to be, multiplying the number of visits.
Monitoring is carried out by analysing the average rainfall (15l/m²) and days with most torrential rain (115l/m²), showing good results. Infiltration and retention 67%, evapotranspiration 13%, evacuation to natural cistern 20% and evacuation to public network 0%. No accumulations of water were observed and significant surface runoff appeared. The velocity of water within the system aids its return to the subsoil. The porosity gradient mitigates pollutants and purifies the water. The objective of 100% rainwater utilisation and 0 litres discharge in the sewage system is achieved.
With the restoration of the garden as a cultural asset, an open-air space became accessible to deepen our knowledge of sustainability, water and climate change and to encourage interaction with nature. A space that is added to the museographic space of the Museum where the importance of the water cycle can be explained to visitors and the social environment.
Visitors can experience the space where they can enjoy the atmosphere of a green enclosure with an industrial garden with values on different levels. The standards of the site vary at different levels, from a natural (agricultural, territorial, ecological) and architectural context. The added value of the experience of the visits is mainly related to the emotion of the didactic knowledge linked to water management.
- Promoting insight and knowledge through education around water linked to the Museu de les Aigües. Education and values are promoted from a vital and playful experience.
- Experiencing a visit and seeing the environmental improvement of the flora and fauna habitat. The ecosystem has been restored and the results are visible all year.
- Recovers a unique space for the environment with a historical identity for the city of Cornellá and Barcelona.
- The industrial garden becomes the place to be, multiplying the number of visits.
Monitoring is carried out by analysing the average rainfall (15l/m²) and days with most torrential rain (115l/m²), showing good results. Infiltration and retention 67%, evapotranspiration 13%, evacuation to natural cistern 20% and evacuation to public network 0%. No accumulations of water were observed and significant surface runoff appeared. The velocity of water within the system aids its return to the subsoil. The porosity gradient mitigates pollutants and purifies the water. The objective of 100% rainwater utilisation and 0 litres discharge in the sewage system is achieved.
With the restoration of the garden as a cultural asset, an open-air space became accessible to deepen our knowledge of sustainability, water and climate change and to encourage interaction with nature. A space that is added to the museographic space of the Museum where the importance of the water cycle can be explained to visitors and the social environment.
Visitors can experience the space where they can enjoy the atmosphere of a green enclosure with an industrial garden with values on different levels. The standards of the site vary at different levels, from a natural (agricultural, territorial, ecological) and architectural context. The added value of the experience of the visits is mainly related to the emotion of the didactic knowledge linked to water management.
Both
- Downloadpdf-1-274.pdf
- http://www.premioconstruccionsostenible.es/9edicion/entrega-de-premios9.htm
- https://www.premios.hispanianostra.org/premio-hispania/intervencion-de-acondicionamiento-mejora-y-restauracion-paisajistica-del-parque-de-las-aguas-de-cornella-de-llobregat/
- https://www.disenodelaciudad.es/cream-estudio-hispania-nostra/
- DownloadPanelesA3 TOTAL.pdf
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes