Port Vell

The Port of Barcelona has its origins in the 15th century, with the first constructions on land reclaimed from the sea. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the port modernised its facilities with new quays where buildings and installations were located, configuring what is currently known as Port Vell. In the last quarter of the 20th century, with the relocation of logistics activities, the spaces of the old port fell into disuse, initiating a series of strategies for their recovery as urban space.
The landscape project is developed on five of the historic quays of the port, which form the Marina Port Vell complex.

The main objective was to incorporate into these mixed-use spaces — urban and port — vegetation that, on the one hand, would coexist in an enriching way with nautical, commercial and leisure uses and, on the other hand, would contribute to merging the maritime complex with the city. To achieve this, the main strategy applied is to provide the perimeter line that borders the quays with the public road with different plant species that, applied to the existing construction elements, blur the “barrier” effect, filtering views and giving a sense of continuity. Thus, the sensation for visitors is that of being in a unique space, urban and port-related, with plant elements that, rather than limiting, merge with both environments.

The Choice of Vegetation

The selected species are predominantly evergreen, especially palms, whether native ones such as the Mediterranean fan palm, or those originating from other parts of the world with a climate similar to ours, in order to guarantee their full adaptation. With this choice, the historical concept of ports is recovered: places of exchange and welcome.
On each of the five quays, the landscape intervention has been carried out in a distinctive way, with decisions that are also common to give a sense of continuity to the entire intervention area.

Espanya quay

The Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) ) coexists with the Bismarck palm (Bismarckia nobilis), a species characterised by its majestic habit and the bluish colour of its leaves.

Dipòsit quay

The selected species are Australian kentia palms (Howea forsteriana) placed on a base of Dietes grandiflora and Miscanthus sinensis. While the former maintain their appearance throughout the year, flowering from spring to autumn, the Miscanthus help to mark the rhythm of the seasons: sprouting in spring, flowering in plumes at the end of summer and golden colour during winter.

Sota Muralla quay

The planting of the Depot Quay extends towards Sota Muralla Quay, with open views towards the façade of Palau de Mar. At the entrance to this quay, large masses of the Mexican grass Nassella tenuissima, are introduced, characterised by their very fine foliage, which moves with the slightest breeze. This is accompanied by some specimens of Nannorrhops ritchieana, a palm native to the Arabian Peninsula, characterised by its prostrate habit.

Barceloneta quay

On this quay, the planting is framed by a strip of Ficus microcarpa located next to the perimeter fence, helping to blur this boundary. In front of it, medium-sized grasses, Pennisetum alopecuroides, also help to mark the seasonal rhythm, contrasting with the different evergreen species of Dianella, which in spring present blue flowering in panicles followed by small purple fruits.

On this quay, the alignment of kentia palms is recovered (in this case of smaller dimensions), which is also found on the Dipòsit Quay, maintaining this species on the two quays aligned with the city’s-built frontage.

Moll del Rellotge quay

On the Rellotge Quay, the alignment of kentia palms from Barceloneta Quay gives way to one of Livistona australis, with fan-shaped leaves, beneath which other varieties of Dianella, are placed, helping to link this quay with Barceloneta Quay.

Natural Materials for Urban Furniture

Wood is the material used as the base throughout the intervention, forming the planters and the urban furniture. The project also incorporates handmade clay pots, reserved for places of special relevance, such as access to the area and the entrances to the buildings, which at the same time help to bring warmth to the spaces in this change of use model, from exclusively port-related to port-urban.