Barcelona: Experience of Cities at Home and Abroad

? Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia in northeast Spain, the second largest city in Spain, the largest industrial center and the second largest port in the Mediterranean. When it comes to Barcelona, perhaps the first thing that most people and I think of is one person, one team and one Olympic Games. One is the master architect-Antoni Gaudi, who is a legendary figure, architectural genius and artist in Barcelona. A club is Barcelona club with Messi, which is one of the most powerful football clubs today. The first Olympic Games was the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. Perhaps the post-80s generation like me can vaguely remember the wonderful archery and ignition ceremony, as well as the diving queen Gao Min and the four golden flowers in the swimming pool in full bloom at this Olympic Games.

? In order to better understand the city, I read some information about Barcelona and the books of architect Gaudi. Compared with other famous cities and architects, there is not much information about Barcelona and Gaudi in urban planning and architecture, especially the Chinese version. There are many Japanese versions in this respect, which may also reflect that Japan has made more efforts than our country in learning Barcelona and Gaudi. In addition, there is also a documentary "The Vision of the City-Barcelona", which is a Taiwan Province provincial version of Barcelona's urban renewal experience. These are all good materials to learn about Barcelona and learn from its experience. Through a few days' travel experience, I personally realized the unique charm of Barcelona and many places worth learning.

? Antoni Gaudi is one of the pioneers of modern architectural movement. Most of his works are concentrated in Barcelona, but seven of his works are listed as world cultural heritage, which is the precedent for modern architecture to be listed as world heritage. As mentioned above, there is very little information about Gaudi's works in China. I found two or three books, the most detailed of which is Interview and Comment on Antoni Gaudi Mies Van Derro's Modern Architecture by Professor Xue Enlun of Tsinghua University, which is a comprehensive introduction to Gaudi's works.

? Gaudi devoted his life to architectural creation and religion, never married and lived a simple life. He is often regarded as a beggar by passers-by on the road. 1926 On the afternoon of June 27th, Gaudi was unfortunately knocked down by a rising tram on his way home from the ruins of the church. No one recognized him because he was in rags. Two days after being sent to the hospital, the talented architect died. In his suicide note, he sold his apartment in Quayle Park, and the money he got was used to build the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, which he devoted himself to designing during his lifetime.

? Located in the center of Barcelona, Sagrada Familia Cathedral is the landmark building and spiritual pillar of Barcelona. It is the pride of every Barcelona citizen and a must-see place for every visitor to Barcelona. 1882 laid the foundation stone, and 1883 started the construction. It was not hosted by Gaudi at first, and the marathon project was not completed until Gaudi died 1926. Sagrada Familia Cathedral is Gaudi's masterpiece and the crystallization of collective creation. Magnificent tower, solemn hall, colorful windows, neo-Gothic style, exquisite sculpture, rich decorative significance, etc. This is an exciting and exquisite work of art. After visiting the basement exhibition area, I was amazed at this great work and lamented how shocking the production process of this great work was. Especially in the background of conditions at that time, people can't calculate complex structures accurately. At that time, Gaudi used "inverted mold" to carry out static analysis, simulate the load of the building, and investigate whether the structure is reasonable. Finally, it was used to build Sagrada Familia Cathedral and another classic-colonia Cathedral. The model was used to guide the building construction and solved the stress problem of the building structure in the design at that time. So far, the Sagrada Familia Cathedral we have seen has only completed the east and west entrances, and it is expected to be completed in 2026, but the only completed part is enough to shock everyone.

? Bartholomew's house is another masterpiece of Gaudi, which can be said to be a fine architectural art, like a skeleton or an open balcony railing, like a cornice on the back of a dragon, colorful wall tiles, grotesque facades and countless curves, which is the first impression that bartholomew's house presents to people. It's not just thinking. More than 100 years ago, this kind of work was incredible. Even now it looks novel, as if it brought people into the fairy tale world. Is it because Gaudi spent most of his childhood at home quietly looking at the outside nature because of physical problems, which gave him a unique understanding of nature and beauty? He once said that "beauty is a true expression, and beauty should have imagination". In the renovation plan of this building, Gaudi's whimsy is not only reflected in the facade of the building, but also in the interior of the main building, only to find that Gaudi has carefully considered every detail. From furniture, stair handrails to door handles, Gaudi personally designed and tested every detail according to ergonomic design. Ventilation and lighting design has been carefully calculated and considered from the aspects of atrium, windows and vents. For example, the window of the atrium, considering the intensity of light from top to bottom, the size of the window varies according to the height. The top daylighting window is small, while the bottom daylighting window is large. The interior decoration adopts smooth curve modeling, the architectural style is unified and coordinated, and every detail is meticulously carved. In addition, bartholomew House was rebuilt on the basis of the original building, so many materials or components of the original building were left behind. At that time, Gaudi paid attention to the utilization of these old materials, which can be said to reflect the idea of sustainable development at that time. It is worth mentioning that Gaudi specially opened a small window on the roof of bartholomew's house, overlooking the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, which also shows the position of Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Gaudi's heart from another side.

? Even today, in Barcelona, we can still feel the far-reaching influence brought by the Olympic Games more than 20 years ago. During that period, the streets, roads and infrastructure of the city were greatly improved. In order to actively bid for and host the Olympic Games, Barcelona, which was in recession at that time, built about 5 kilometers of seashore beaches, transformed the port, built two ring roads and two tunnels, rebuilt the drainage system of the airport and the city, and built a network providing water, electricity, gas and telephone services. During this period, Barcelona's economy went from recession to prosperity, becoming the fastest changing city in Europe at that time, and the employment momentum improved obviously. Unemployment reached an all-time low at 1992. At the same time, the preparations for the Olympic Games have obviously accelerated the recovery of the Spanish economy. Many people think that 1992 Olympic Games has played an immeasurable role in promoting the development of Barcelona and Spain.

1992 Olympic Games promoted the urban revival of Barcelona. 1939-1976 during the dictatorship, the consideration of economic interests was far greater than that of public space. Good coastal areas were almost occupied by industries, docks and railways, which separated the city center of Barcelona from the sea at that time. Then, the problem of urban decline has also been highlighted. Facing the problems, Barcelona put forward the urban redevelopment plan after dictatorship, and grasped the Olympic Games as an urban event, and transformed the public space in Barcelona, especially the coastal space. The coastline originally occupied by industrial areas has been transformed into public beaches and given different themes. Coastal expressway also adopts underpass mode to minimize the impact of motor vehicles on coastal public spaces, where people can walk, jog, bask in the sun and exercise freely. At the same time, many service facilities have been added along the coastline to provide more and better services for citizens and tourists. After the Olympic Games, this area has developed vigorously.

? /kloc-in the 9th century, Hilda completed the general plan of urban expansion, and Barcelona began a real construction climax. This is the general layout of a city, drawn with a standardized grid and several diagonal lines. The dimensions of the four sides of each square neighborhood are 1 13m. This unique city has become one of the most beautiful and charming cities in the world, based on the square network street system, combined with the diagonal avenue and the boulevard connecting the old city and the surrounding new city.

? Barcelona has convenient public transportation, subway line 12, convenient public transportation and public bicycle system, which reduces the use of motor vehicles and the dependence on private cars, and liberates the street space of the city from one aspect. Through the urban renewal project, Barcelona has created many famous urban streets and become a representative of the city. As a classic case of urban street reconstruction, it has been gradually extended to other cities. One of the representative streets is La Rambla, which extends southward from Catalonia Square to the seaside and crosses the whole old city. There are many famous scenic spots, buildings and squares along the way. There is a complete walking space in the middle of the whole street, with two-way four-lane motor vehicles on both sides and sidewalks on both sides. This is a typical pedestrian street. The original motor vehicle lanes have been reduced, and most of the space in the central part has been reserved as a walking and slow-moving passage. Urban street sketches, green landscapes, leisure seats and small commercial facilities have been arranged, and there are many street art performances with their own characteristics along the way, which makes Rambla Avenue more dynamic. There are also public facilities such as churches, grand theaters, concert halls and exhibition halls on both sides of the avenue. As Jacobs said in The Death and Life of Big Cities in America and Jixin Luyuan said in The Aesthetics of Streets, "Streets are lively, cities are lively, streets are dull, cities are dull" and "Streets are a sign for tourists to evaluate a city". Rambla Avenue is a street full of vigor and vitality. Its successful experience has also been applied to many urban roads in Barcelona, and artistic sketches designed by many artists have also been arranged at intersections and park nodes of these urban roads, which has also become a highlight of Barcelona.

? Hangzhou has a rich cultural and historical background and is also a famous international tourist city. The exquisite West Lake, the open Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and the atmospheric Qiantang River are all unique resource advantages of Hangzhou. Hangzhou and Barcelona have many similarities, but also have their own personality characteristics. However, compared with Barcelona, there are still many gaps and shortcomings in some aspects.

? First of all, there are not many landmark buildings and less Hangzhou culture. Secondly, Hangzhou is rich in waterfront space, but most of it is occupied by living space. The public space along the West Lake is one of the most successful areas in Hangzhou, especially the lakeside area, which can be said to be a model of waterfront areas. However, there are still many shortcomings in the public space along the Canal and Qiantang River, and there are many houses, so the quality and continuity of public space need to be strengthened and improved. Third, many streets in Hangzhou, especially back streets and alleys, have unique charm and historical and cultural heritage, which is a major feature of Hangzhou. However, the commercial street space does not consider enough walking space, such as Yan 'an Road. Yan 'an Road is to Hangzhou what Rambla Avenue is to Barcelona. Because Yan 'an Road has assumed an important motor vehicle traffic function, there is no way to reduce the number of motor vehicle lanes and increase the space for slow traffic and public transportation like Rambla Avenue.

? Walking on the streets of Barcelona and looking up at the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Gaudi, I deeply felt the unique charm of the city. The landmark building, profound cultural heritage, humanized street space, diversified public art culture and open waterfront space are all my real feelings brought by Barcelona. I hope Hangzhou can learn from Barcelona's urban transformation the successful experience that suits it.

References:

Xue Enlun's Interview and Comment on Antoni Gaudi Mies Van Derro's Masterpiece of Modern Architecture

Wang Bo, one of the top ten architectural geniuses in the world.

Evolution of urban waterfront in Barcelona? Dongyi

Street Aesthetics: Lu Yuan believes in the sun.

Other network materials

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