Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes

Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior Photography, Windows, Facade, Column
© José Hevia

Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Exterior Photography, Windows, Door, Brick, FacadeReactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Exterior Photography, WindowsReactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior Photography, WindowsReactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior PhotographyReactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - More Images+ 10

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  2021
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2021
  • Photographs
    Photographs:José Hevia
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Codispe, Collell protecció solar, FV Seguretat, Fiosa, Magatzems Olot, Reine, Viguet Canal
  • Architects In Charge: Eduard Callís, Guillem Moliner
  • Design Team: Clàudia Calvet, Xevi Rodeja
  • Visual Artist : Quim Domene
  • Structural Engineer : Miquel Capdevila
  • Installations : Elèctric Jomi, Montolivet Instal·lacions, Grau Sistemes Tèrmics
  • Lighting Consultants: Grupo Noria
  • Landscape Consultant : Xevi Pujol
  • Technical Consultants: Ajuntament d’Olot, Dinàmig y Sigma
  • Collaborators : Socias de l’Artiga, Museu de la Garrotxa, Concejo de barrio del Nucli Antic, Vecinos y comerciantes de la plaza, Salvi Capellà, Joan Mallart
  • Developer : Ajuntament d’Olot, L’Artiga Coop, Escola d’Art d’Olot
  • Civil Contractor: Construccions Pere Boada, Grederes 2.0, Trasplantaments Sant Iscle
  • Joinery : Plantalech, Serralleria Jordi Cullet
  • Carpentry : Fusteria Esfèric, Fusteria Esteve Baqué, Fusteria Jordi
  • Paints: Soy & Soy
  • City: Olot
  • Country: Spain
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Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Exterior Photography, Windows, Door, Brick, Facade
© José Hevia

Text description provided by the architects. Shopping is an integral part of the street. Improving the vitality, comfort, and safety of the public space was done by fostering occupancy of closed shops and emphasizing relationships through the shop windows. That was the task developed on the street in the project, Good morning, Carme! (Olot, 2021). In a single year, 1000 m² of shops were opened and 120 m of façade were redesigned in a single square in the old town.

Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior Photography, Windows
© José Hevia

Changes in the consumption model have caused the centers of many cities to head into a sharp commercial decline. Based on the premise that the activity and character of the street depending on the façades and what happens behind them, the urban renewal of these spaces inevitably involved the mobilization of the bank of empty ground floor premises. The shop windows are where this relationship was established, with extensions into the outside with awnings and pedestal tables and into the inside with the products on display. 

Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior Photography, Windows, Facade, Arch
© José Hevia
Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Exterior Photography, Windows
© José Hevia

It was thus advisable to blur the borders between the public and the private, from a physical perspective and, especially, from a municipal management viewpoint. That was the starting point for the Good morning, Carme! the project, which united and went hand in hand with a collective hope: the revival of Plaça del Carme in the center of Olot. Traditional city planning was reconsidered, allocating 70% of the budget to the ground floors. The project also included the opening of the city's Art School and the remodeling of a warehouse for a consumer cooperative. It is a project of projects, involving 3 developers and 8 shopkeepers.

Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Image 14 of 15
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Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© José Hevia
Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Image 15 of 15
Elements Catalogue

The approach was similar to acupuncture, as a catalog of actions that add complexity and depth to the relationships between the street and the ground floors. This catalog considered planting deciduous trees to complement the façades, the lighting of the street from the perimeter and from the insides, converting empty openings into alcoves to exhibit sculptures from the Art School, and overhauling shop windows to endow them with the most transparency possible and bring them into dialogue with the street. 

Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior Photography, Windows
© José Hevia
Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior Photography, Windows, Shelving, Beam
© José Hevia
Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior Photography
© José Hevia

During the nine months that work lasted, the 'Carme office' was set up in the square, where we cooked up ideas on how to reactivate the space. This was the meeting point between neighbors, shopkeepers, owners, and technicians, who also took on the roles of facilitators, managers, and mediators. Dividing the project into stages ensured we could adapt it to any new needs detected. 

Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes - Interior Photography, Windows
© José Hevia

Project gallery

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Project location

Address:Plaça Verge del Carme, 4, 17800 Olot, Girona, España

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Reactivation of Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes" [Reactivación de la Plaza del Carme / unparelld’arquitectes] 20 Apr 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/980464/reactivation-of-plaza-del-carme-unparelldarquitectes> ISSN 0719-8884

© José Hevia

模糊空间边界,重新激活 Carme 广场 / unparelld’arquitectes

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