The Amazing Architecture And Design of Eixample
Eixample is a district of the Spanish city of Barcelona, that lies
between the old city and the surrounding small towns. The district was
built as an extension (hence the name “Eixample”) when Barcelona started
to grow during the middle of the 19th century. The 7.5 square km
district is characterized by long straight streets, a strict grid
pattern crossed by wide avenues, and octagonal city blocks - rectangular
blocks with the corners cut off, which are distinctive for Barcelona.
This was the visionary, pioneering design by Spanish urban planner
Ildefons Cerdà, who considered traffic and transport along with sunlight
and ventilation in coming up with his characteristic octagonal blocks.
Cerdà’s central aim was to overcome social problems by using
quadrangular blocks of a standard size, with strict building controls to
ensure that they were built up on only two sides, to a limited height,
leaving a shady square or garden in between. This recreational open
space with open sides to the blocks was to guarantee the houses the
maximum amount of sun, light and ventilation. The angled corners allowed
the streets to broaden at every intersection making for greater
visibility, and fluid traffic in all directions. Cerdà had steam trams
in mind, and it was its long turning radius which determined the angle
of the corners of the buildings. Trams were never installed, and the
city planners unfortunately ignored many of his other provisions.
Cerda
wanted housing blocks to be orientated NW-SE to ensure all apartments
received sunshine during the day. Each district would be of twenty
blocks, containing all the community shops and services, and each block
were to have at least 800 square meters of gardens. Cerda’s idealized
use of urban space was scarcely achieved. The blocks went up to much
more than the planned heights, and in practice all the blocks have been
enclosed, with very few inner gardens surviving. Most of the inner
courtyards today are occupied by car parks, workshops and shopping
centers. The streets were narrower - only one of the two diagonal
avenues was carried out - the inhabitants were of a higher class than
the mixed composition dreamed of by Cerdà. The grid pattern with its
distinctive octagonal blocks, however, remains as a hallmark of
Barcelona’s Eixample.
Over the past few years the city has begun
trying to implement Cerdà's idea for green public spaces behind the
buildings. When a block is vacated because of the relocation of a
business, the city takes up the block and redesigns it with parks and
open spaces. The ultimate goal is to create one patio-garden for every
nine blocks, but its unlikely that so many will become available in the
near future.
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BalasHapusGreat post, have a nice day my friend (~_~)
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