The natural space through which the path passes has a highly degraded state. It was subjected to intense extractive activity of existing plaster in its subsoil (Guixeres of the Claret and Pelfort). Afterwards, once this activity ceased, the area was used as a municipal waste transfer station.
The project has two main objectives: one of connectivity, achieving the continuity of this global green ring recognizing the main visuals about the city and Montserrat mountain, and generating a sequence of areas of stay; and a second of landscape and biodiversity recovery, establishing the necessary elements to generate a new dynamic in the place that progressively improves its environmental conditions through the profit of water.
Description of project by Batlle i Roig Arquitectes
The project is set within the broader scheme of the Igualada Green Ring, the aim of which is to generate a series of itineraries for pedestrians and bicycles in the form of a green belt around the city’s perimeter. This new sustainable mobility infrastructure sets out to design a system of parks and peri-urban open spaces that function as a network suitable for environmentally friendly leisure activities, adapting and recovering, to a large extent, spaces that are currently run-down or underused. In this context, Camí de les Guixeres, the track leading to the mines, represents the recovery of a stretch of 1.65 kilometres, out of which the first 800 metres have now been completed.
The central strip, with the main granitic-sand track, guarantees the continuity of the Green Ring. It is approximately three metres wide and its mostly laid out following the original path. This track is complemented by a second strip, in the form of a linear lookout overlooking the city of Igualada. This vantage point is materialised by a 1.2-metre-wide paved strip along the outer edge of the track, directly related to the views. It is built with hard paving, giving the track a strip with improved accessibility. In addition, the concrete used is made with luminescent aggregate that improves visibility during the evening by returning, in the form of luminescence, the solar energy captured during the day.
The layout of this linear scenic viewpoint recognises the principal existing landmarks, vegetation and trees by widening and creating rest areas, complemented with linear benches. Finally, this strip recognises the exceptionally fine views of Montserrat from Les Guixeres Hill, generating a final vantage point in the form of a structure cantilevered over the mountainside.
