Ombra Viva
A multifunctional and inclusive climate shelter that integrates shade generation, solar energy, and air filtration, with the aim of improving climatic comfort in public spaces and providing a mental and social refuge for its users.
In the current context of climate change, Mediterranean cities, such as Barcelona, face significant challenges in terms of climatic comfort in public spaces and facilities. Increasingly frequent heat waves, high solar exposure and air pollution create an urgent need for solutions to mitigate these adverse effects. The provision of shade in public spaces is not only essential for people’s well-being during the warmer months, but, given our region’s abundance of sunshine, solar energy must be harnessed as a key resource.
OmbraViva responds to the urgent need to create a multifunctional space that combines the generation of seasonal shade and renewable energy, with spaces for community relations and rest. The solution provided is a climatic and environmental shelter that provides not only protection from heat and solar radiation, but also a shelter from air pollution and noise, thus improving the quality of the environment. This lightweight, adaptable structure consists of a modular roof that can be replicated as needed, creating a flexible network of spaces that provide shade on days of high insolation and allow the sun to pass through during cooler periods. Our solution takes this challenge as an opportunity by converting the high solar exposure that public space face in Mediterranean cities into renewable energy.
In addition to being a climatic and environmental shelter, OmbraViva is an inclusive and communal shelter. It is intended as a welcoming space for everyone, but especially for the students of the UPC, who often face the lack of safe and welcoming spaces in their educational facilities. The project responds to these needs through a series of modules that allow for various daily activities, such as meeting, resting, studying or eating.
An urban innovation project focused on developing a sustainable, modular climate shelter that incorporates renewable energy generation, air filtration and shading, developed through an inclusive co-design process. The project lies at the intersection of inclusive architecture, urban resilience, and urban technology.
OmbraViva also acts as a participatory space, as the final design is co-created through a participatory process that includes workshops open to the public, with a special focus on students and campus workers. This participatory approach ensures that the shelter responds to the needs of the users of the educational facility, fostering a sense of belonging and a common property, promotes inclusiveness and equity in the use of public space, and fosters the creation of a space that is truly welcoming and safe for all. In addition, the modules also incorporate pedagogical tools and data sensors, such as lights that project information about the data generated by the air quality shelter and other climate data, promoting environmental awareness and citizen empowerment.
The Project
The project is also a sustainable climate shelter, which uses environmentally friendly technologies and promotes self-production of energy. The modules include solar panels that not only allow the generation of clean energy for the night lighting of the shelter, but also plugs, or charging stations for electric bicycles, promoting active and sustainable mobility.
In addition, the shelter is equipped with a Smart Citizen Kit, an open source device that allows the collection of environmental data, such as air quality, noise, temperature and humidity. The goal is to empower citizens to monitor their environment and share this information through an online platform, fostering greater awareness and participation in improving the quality of urban life. Devices will be placed both outside and inside the space, which will allow monitoring and analyzing the effects of urban shading on public space.
Our Contribution
IAAC’s Urban Sciences Lab led the development of the Ombra Viva project. The Institute’s contribution focused on integrating cutting-edge strategies for urban resilience through collaborative design, connecting diverse disciplines to bring new concepts to life and make an impact on how we live, design, and build. The project demonstrates IAAC’s commitment to innovation in urban sustainability and the deployment of spaces developed through inclusive processes.
Who is it for?
Ombra Viva is a multifunctional shelter that integrates shade generation, solar energy, and air filtration, with the aim of improving comfort in public spaces. The proposal focuses on promoting inclusivity and safety of students attending the university campus, with particular focus on women, caregivers, and children, who often lack adequate spaces within this context. In this way, the project proposes not only a climatic and environmental shelter, but also a mental and social refuge for its users. The adaptable modules combine technologies to generate clean energy, improve air quality, and provide safe and comfortable spaces, while also encouraging citizen participation through a design co-created with users.
BIT-Habitat, Ciutat Proactiva, Ajuntament de Barcelona
€ 62.500
2024-2026
Urban Sciences Lab
