Jardí Botànic de Barcelona
cut at angles less than 60º relative to the edge of
the concrete slab. This worked well with paths up to
3m wide, but some cracks have appeared in wider
paths and in some of the squares, where concrete
polygons were laid side by side. In places where
the expansion joints were not continuous, some
fissures have appeared.
The ultimate layout of the paths was decided on
site; the Project Director, together with a sur-
veyor, defined every path in turn, searching for the
most convenient slopes, pursuing the final fractal
effect. The Masterplan was updated accordingly.
The expansion joints were also drawn ‘in-situ’ by
the site architect in charge of construction, Carlos
Ferrater: ‘If the triangulation grid was a “strategy”
conceived from the office, as if by generals, the final
lines of the paths were field tactics, as if created by
guerrillas, and done from nearby.’Walls
The Masterplan considered the construction of
in-situ concrete walls to retain the landform that
resulted from the creation of the plots. According
to a geotechnical study the soil had very uneven
properties and depths; approximately 50 per cent
of the JBB surface was landfill with debris from
building materials, clays and rubbish, with deposits
that were up to 20m deep in some places. With
such soil conditions it was not advisable to lay the
foundations of any rigid structures. Alternatives
were studied and finally the decision was taken to
use reinforced earth walls. These do not need any
foundations, have the necessary structural stability,7.18b
Detailed plan and section of the stairs. From the ‘as
built’ plan