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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Mercat dels Encants in Barcelona, Spain by b720 Fermín Vázquez ArquitectosOctober 2nd, 2014 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos The new market “Mercado dels Encants” in Barcelona acts as a mediation device between the renovated Plaza de las Glorias, and the axis of the Meridiana, an area popularly known as “el Bosquet de les Glòries”.  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos
 Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos The proposal consists of a continuous platform (or commercial plaza) which folds and divides into several floors, creating a suitable surface for all the mercantile activities. The platform slopes to conciliate the different levels of the street. The market itself is conceived as a great covered exterior plaza, capable of installing activity to all the pieces of the program.  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos The roof plane is the main element of the project and the most recognizable piece at urban-scale. It gives shelter to the commercial activities and at the same time materializes as a mechanism to reflect the city into the interior of the market. Each structural module slopes differently to reflect light, the atmosphere and the surrounding scenery.  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos Memory of the project: Els Encants de Barcelona is a century-old market that had been organized informally as a street market.The site for the new location, not far from the current site, is found at the intersection of Avenida Meridiana and Plaza de lasGlorias. The project’s principal goal is to maintain the open-air street market atmosphere of the Encants. A site limited to 8.000m² for a commercial structure that occupies more than double thatsurface was an important challenge.  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos The design avoids building several stories, thus rejecting the shopping mall model. To achieve that, it includes slightly inclined planes that intertwine in a loop that creates an uninterrupted walk among the stalls and small shops, echoing the experience of strolling down a pedestrian street. The folding of the floors make it possible to reconcile the differing heights of the side aisles, and blur the entrance levels throughout the interior of the market.  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos A large roof suspended like a canopy, almost 25 meters high, makes the market recognizable as a landmark and protects shop-keepers and customers from the sun. The roof is made up of panels of varying widths. Its inner face uses fractured planes that reflect the city into the market. The building has two underground levels. The first is dedicated to the logistical functions of the market, and the second was conceived as public parking for customers.  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos  Image Courtesy © b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos
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Categories: Commercial Area, Commercial Building, Market |
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