OPEN NATURE

OPEN NATURE worked with the Collserola Natural Park, located at the heart of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, to identify sites for ecological and aesthetic rehabilitation near dense urban areas and well-positioned pathways from the city to the park. Through the project, sustainably harvested local wood was worked into aesthetic structures and elements and positioned on peripheral public sites linking the park to the surrounding urbanization. The pieces were co-designed and made as part of the project.

The project enhanced the benefits of applying public green-space preservation and regeneration measures through the inclusive participation of children and young people, with the aim of building a win-win relationship between these spaces and the primary users. Immersive forest lessons familiarised students with the basic principles of the regional ecology and sustainable forest management. Then a participatory co-design process involved children and young people in learning-by-doing collaborations with experts in architecture and the circular bioeconomy from the IAAC’s Valldaura Labs, located within the park. Including students in the co-creation of natural public spaces supported their sense of belonging to the community.

OPEN NATURE successfully brought together various stakeholders. The participants in the education and co-design process were re-connected with nature and the physical spaces regenerated and preserved in a sustainable way. Being the main lung of the entire Barcelona metropolitan area, the park has a vital ecology that merits conservation for the health and wellbeing of all surrounding urban stakeholders.