Roman Walk tries to rediscover the ancient circulation in the Neighbourhood, Barri Gotic. Along the Roman Wall, I am reopening the preexisting path, Connecting Placa d’Emili Vilanova, and Plaza dels Traginers. The alley combines elements common for Placas, Like Sitting Areas and Greenery, with Roman Heritage, and the metaphysical qualities of the vertical, Gothic streets, as the afternoon sun passes and creates long shadows.
A perforated wall of slightly rotated stones creates a buffer between the domestic area and the public street. Between these, a rich courtyard of intermediate qualities functions as an oasis-like common area for everyone living there. In the perforated wall, with influence from the Cathedral close by, stained glass with individual qualities of absorbing light is placed as a gradient filter to control- and create an even light in the courtyard, in addition to the obvious chromatic effects it provides.
An exterior shell of a facade wraps these domestic volumes together, and creates roofing for the exterior path, giving a monolithic expression in the design, as if the ramps were carved out from the building in a stereotonic way. An elevator serves as a faster way to each level, as well as provides increased accessibility to some of the apartments. The elevator is hidden within a parasitic volume adapted from the Roman Wall- there served as toilets in ancient days.
An analysis of openings in the immediate surroundings of the site gave an arsenal of variations that have been used wherever they suited best to fulfill a certain need. This resulted in an eclectic palimpsest of preexisting elements, mirroring the dramatic history of The Wall- and its periodic timeline.
