SYLLABUS AND PROGRAM OF THE COURSE

THE REC COMTAL

Although their beginnings are not known due to lack of documentation, it is known that it already existed in the 11th century, during the reign of Ramón Berenguer I. In addition, in some sections it coincides with the ancient Roman aqueduct, although it is not clear if all its construction is based or only takes advantage of some parts.

The Rec, which was mainly considered for a purely economic purpose, was swept along the current districts of San Andres and San Martín, and over the centuries it was adapted to the needs of each period. The city, then, grew up around it, and the areas where it passed were the most developed, especially in industry and agriculture.

As historian Enrique H. March explains, "The history of Barcelona is not understood without the production that this infrastructure has meant for the city." And for years the Rec was one of the crucial infrastructures for Barcelona and its economy.

There is an incidence represented by Rec Comtal in the population and social and economic development of San Andres and San Marti, due to its specific weight in the transformation of the region. The most important features of its impact are, without a doubt, the implantation of farms and livestock farms and later the establishment of the industries, because it is undoubtedly the vital artery of the region.

Wise are the vicissitudes of the city and other satellite populations of the plan, to achieve the necessary supply of water for the consumption of its inhabitants, because the lack of liquid element in the course of history have been important and that He has forced to find it everywhere where there was any chance of obtaining it. The fact has been endemic and closely linked to the expansion and demographic growth. Unfortunately, the problem has not yet been solved completely and from time to time, the authorities recommend their savings.

The remains of the Roman aqueduct, in the Plaza Nueva, show a clear direction towards the slopes of Collserola, but it seems that this contribution was not sufficient and the situation of the gods from which it was found is quite clear. However, the existence of a source, capable of supplying the needs of the colony, is unknown.

It is very possible, however, that the waters of different mines were captured, as has been traditional. The driving in the Ciutat Vella and later in the Eixample, using a complicated underground network, is sufficiently documented, existing, inoperative and unknown to the majority of Barcelona residents.                           

All known evidence points to the fact that insufficient water supply to the city was institutional since very old, and the successive corporations had to look for alternative solutions. The archaeological remains and the written documents provide serious data that allows to speculate with the existence of another Roman aqueduct, that with different direction was directed of right in the Besós river.

The appearance is that the layout of this aqueduct made its journey very close to what would later be Rec Condal, and possibly somewhere, the layout would be coincident. The first one, with its own characteristics, because in very specific places, it was elevated by means of "arches, arches torts, arches opera antico facto, ancient arches, Prisco arches, etc.", which documentally fix their passage through the territory.

It is presumable that Rec Old made reference to the aqueduct and that when found damaged, it was fixed by Count Mir (Regomir), between the years 954 and 966, and that Rec Nou was the medieval construction renovated by the Baron of the Limits in the 18th century.

The structure resulting from this last remodeling granted to the Comtat Sèquia, a length of twelve kilometers and only a one-thousand-degree drop. The flow was about 72,000 cubic meters of average daily, subject to fluctuations depending on the weather and the seasons of the annual cycle. As for the cabal, it was distributed between the city and irrigation, at the rate of one third for the first and two thirds for agricultural and industrial use (mills).   

The historic function of Rec Comtal has completely disappeared and nowadays, nothing more is one of many collectors that make up the sewerage network in the city. Its waters are no longer exploited, but it is not far from the date that some 200 peasants still benefited. A figure that is known to us, by the last in charge of irrigation, Joan Sitja i Clapés, who since 1967 stopped exercising this traditional trade.

PROPOSAL FOR INTERVENTION

The proposal for intervention that is proposed in the subject Projects 4, is located along the old track of the Rec Comtal.

A special plan is currently being drafted, calling for the recovery of the memory of the old infrastructure, which is kept just 5% today.

In projects 4, 6 of the 25 sites that are part of this special plan have been selected, with the aim of proposing sufficiently varied interventions that will allow an overall reading of what could be the recovery of the Rec Condal memory.

GOAL

The objective of the course is to work on the different scales, urban, typological and constructive, taking advantage of a look at a preexistence that should make us aware of the decisions we make.

The plots have been selected to allow us to work the three scales in a natural way.

In all of them, it will be possible to work the urban space considering the pre-existing heritage of the Rec layout.

In all of them, it will be possible to draw a new volume considering the preexistence of the urban layout.

And work on typology and materiality considering the pre-existing heritage of some existing building.

Depending on the plot, the development of the chosen program will focus on a new volume to consider, or will focus on the recovery and rehabilitation of an existing building with architectural or typological value, apart from the intervention in the public space that will be strengthened by the Rec layout.

The interest of the proposal for the planning of this space will be to analyze that pre-existences are determinants, both from the heritage level and from the sociological point of view.

Therefore, the object is to design and reorder these selected sites, having a heritage approach that must undoubtedly be based on preexistence. This preexistence must be investigated and evaluated appropriately. Uses need to be defined based on authentic heritage characteristics. As a selective approach, without discriminating any of the existing conditions in this  specific architectural heritage.

Therefore, the identification work for the first delivery called Analysis (February 8, 2019), it will be crucial to identify the collective memory of the place plus an historical analysis, pre-existing photogrammetric surveying and collective models (by groups). The phase of  Preliminary design-project (March 1, 2019) the previous identified values need to be evaluated, and through historical plans, maps and images of the whole, there will be a justification of the proposed program. The program will be developed based on detected values, organized according to a purpose. Finally, the third submission of the Project (March 29, 2019), will have determined the architectural development by means of the volumetric arrangement of the whole and the typological and constructive project’s solution.