Reusing Rooftops | Barcelona
Elevated Urban Layers
Barcelona, Spain | Urban Transformation | Competition Honorable Mention
In the heart of Barcelona’s Eixample district, Elevated Urban Layers reimagines underutilized rooftops and courtyards as dynamic public and productive landscapes. The project was developed with a focus on the adaptive reuse of existing built surfaces—transforming them into layered, interconnected spaces for community engagement and urban agriculture.
The unique fabric of the Eixample grid, originally designed by Ildefons Cerdà, has evolved over time through fragmentation and informal passageways. These deviations introduced new spatial potentials but also led to denser and less cohesive blocks. Our proposal seeks to harness these irregularities through a system of vertical connectivity—linking the courtyard, façade, and roof into a unified, experiential agricultural ecosystem.
Constructed using laminated timber structures, the design provides vertical circulation between levels while integrating spaces for communal and private use. Rooftop farms are designed both as interactive and non-interactive zones, where users can engage with food production or simply observe from elevated pathways that offer new perspectives on the cityscape. The façades are reactivated through a secondary architectural layer of terraces, offering residents semi-private green spaces while contributing to urban biodiversity.
At ground level, previously neglected courtyards—often the roofs of subterranean parking areas—are revitalized with planters, green surfaces, and modular elements for public use. These spaces encourage gathering, relaxation, and engagement with nature in an otherwise dense urban environment.
What emerges is not only a physical intervention but also a social and environmental model. By leveraging Barcelona’s strong culture of neighborhood associations, the project empowers local communities to take ownership of urban transformation and resilience. The intervention fosters a sense of shared responsibility while improving environmental performance and quality of life.
Ultimately, Elevated Urban Layers is an architectural strategy as much as it is a cultural framework—one that repositions forgotten surfaces as active, productive, and inclusive layers within the urban fabric.
