In the auditorium of the Barcelona Architects’ Association, the three architects responsible for its design – Marta Domènech, David López (REARQ UPC) and Vicenç Sarrablo (LITEIS UIC Barcelona) – presented La Volta, a climate shelter open to the public. It will be built in a key location within Llars Mundet, near the shuttle bus stop, Plaça Anna Gironella, the University of Barcelona faculties, and the entrances to the Palau de les Heures gardens and Collserola Park.
This 24 × 12 metre pergola will be built using the Catalan vault technique, which allows spaces to be covered with exposed-brick vaults without auxiliary formwork, enabling rapid construction while optimising materials and costs. La Volta is scheduled for completion next year, in time to host activities for Barcelona’s World Capital of Architecture programme. It will then serve as an agora and climate shelter for local residents, thanks to its botijo effect interior, which will store water and release it through evaporation to cool the air.
The project is promoted by the Barcelona branch of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia and has been conceived as a collaborative initiative involving Barcelona Provincial Council, the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation, the Escola del Treball, the Builders’ Guild of Barcelona, and the two leading Catalan research groups specialising in ceramic materials innovation: REARQ at UPC and LITEIS at UIC Barcelona.
From LITEIS, professor Vicenç Sarrablo is taking part as co-author of La Volta’s architectural design. He will also focus his research on the installation of a photovoltaic pergola at the cantilevered end of the pavilion, using the Flexbrick system – one of the patents developed at UIC Barcelona. This system consists of a mesh of stainless steel containing ceramic tiles. These tiles will not only provide shade for the pavilion but will also incorporate photovoltaic modules to generate electricity autonomously, storing it in batteries for night-time lighting.
At the presentation in the association’s headquarters, Román Pérez, vice-rector for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at UIC Barcelona, remarked: “It is essential to seek collaborative strategies between universities and industry in order to have greater impact on society, and this is a clear example. We are proud that UIC Barcelona can participate in this collaborative project through the LITEIS group, as it once again demonstrates the University’s commitment to technological transfer projects.”
Through this initiative, the LITEIS (Laboratory for Technological Innovation in Industrialised and Sustainable Construction) research group reaffirms its commitment to sustainable architecture, ceramic innovation and the transfer of knowledge between university research and professional practice.
