Jardí Botànic de Barcelona
Design philosophy
We did not want to show a Holm Oak (Quercus
ilex) but to show an Holm Oak wood.
(B. Figueras)According to the botanists, plants in the new JBB were
to be grouped by ecological affinity and morphologic
evolutionary convergence into phytoepisodes. These
are an extrapolation of the most characteristic species
and vegetal associations found in nature. Those at
JBB will represent typical Mediterranean-type lands-
capes: South Africa’s Fynbos, Mediterranean Basin’s
Evergreen Oak Woodland, Chile’s Espinal, California’s
Joshua Tree Woodland, etc. Therefore each phytoepi-
sode synthesises the similar plant communities that
conform to a vegetated landscape.
Phytoepisodes were to be distributed in a mosaic
pattern as in nature. Plantation patterns within
each phytoepisode were also to be rendered
from nature according to vegetal succession
‘transects’, phytosociology and finally morpholo-
gic convergence criteria. According to this philo-
sophy, plants were to be allowed to grow natu-
rally respecting their own shapes and dynamics
in order to investigate their reactions to the
conditions in Barcelona. No pruning was to be
allowed, and irrigation was only admitted during
the establishment period.
According to the architects, there were two fun-
damental premises for the spatial design: first, let
the site’s morphological and topographic qualities
set the rules for the intervention, and, second,
find a structure that would allow for the ordering
of the future botanical collection according to the
phytoepisodes into a sort of mosaic pattern. A stra-
tegy of superimposing a geometrical ‘triangulation
grid’ was adopted. This grid presented itself as a
useful instrument with which to adapt to the wild
topography of the place, while unifying the entire
complex and organizing the botanical collection.
Finally, the ‘triangulation grid’ became a network of
hierarchical paths that delimits the planting plots.
These plots, conveniently subdivided according to
the most favourable slope and orientation, incorpo-
rate the different phytoepisodes.Fractality is the principle that underlies the form
of the project. The term ‘fractal’ is used to
describe mathematically represented objects or
systems, where the creation of form is based on
irregularity or fragmentation. In fractal systems,
the principles of the major geometry also define
the smaller geometries or details, as shown in
B.B Mandelbrot’s figures. Nature provides many
examples of systems presenting a fractal nature,
such as the ramification of hydrographic networks
or the shapes of mountain ranges. When apply-
ing ‘fractal logic’ to project making, the logic of7.6
Mathematical representation of fractal islands by
BB Mandelbrot