Page 48 - Designing Ways 255

ON THE
TERRACE

Forest Path in the Roques Blanques he Roques Blanques Metropolitan
Cemetery, within the realm of
Cemetery in the Collserola TCollserola’s Natural Park at El
Papiol, Barcelona, has been developed
Natural Park, Barcelona over 30 years. Since its conception in
1981, the graveyard was conceived as
a 122 Ha garden to be developed in
Barcelona, Spain different phases, reaching a current day

total of seven built clusters. The site
has since been able to adapt to changes
in customer demands, proposing new
burial paradigms and aiming to facilitate
remembrance and family relationships
with their deceased loved ones.
Furthermore, mutual respect for the
environment and nature has allowed us
to propose a ground-breaking proposal
for new ecological burial forms that is
100% biodegradable.
This intervention, based on respect for
and conservation of the environment,
involves the development of cluster
number 6, with a surface of 8,600 m².
With its very pronounced orography
of exemplary pines and holm oaks, it is
ready to host 1,500 new graves.
The challenge consisted of creating
an accessible space for the practice of
funeral rites that would preserve the
environmental values of the site and
contribute to the recovery of biodiversity
characteristic of the Natural Park. The
new cluster becomes an entry path to
the forest, complemented by a green
terrace, a meadow reflecting Collserola’s
agricultural past, and a butterfly garden as

48 Issue 255 • dw