THE RAVAL: COMMERCE, COMMUNITY AND THE CITY
Branding, long associated as a marketing practice, has taken on issues of constructing individual and community identities. This project questioned how space responds to and informs the specific community and individual identities, utilizing strategies of branding to create meaning in their inhabitation of public environments.
Why Raval?
The Raval, located in the medieval city quarter of Barcelona, has seen everything from the factories and tenements of the Industrial Revolution, the drug dealing and prostitution of the early 20th century, to the recent influx of immigrants, tourists, and Airbnb. Today’s “Barrio Chino” is quickly becoming one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city, with new shops, restaurants, and nightlife to rival Gracia and the Born.
The Raval story: Snapshots of the community and what it represents
As gentrification transforms the Raval, how will the local people, new immigrants and visitors continue to make and perceive it as the authentic and vibrant place it has been for centuries? Local merchants will need to survive in this new environment; Muslim, Moroccan and Pakistani immigrants will need to raise their families, shop and create new lives for themselves: tourists will need access, expecting an authentic neighborhood experience.
How can architects, designers, and artists address these issues and propose design solutions that will help to sustain the essence and vitality of the Raval? In this project, we strived to understand the commerce of the Raval, its new fashion sense, quality food shops, tourist shops, art galleries, and what it was and where it is going. It will document the specific qualities of the Raval that makes it different from other neighborhoods and districts, and ask how these unique qualities can be represented as a “brand” that can strengthen and direct future development related to commerce. Finally, it will investigate how artists and designers can create new forms, graphics/signage and displays based on this brand identity
The project
The project was carried out and completed in three phases over a period of ten days. The final design was not required to be complete, but a defined and detailed design solution was the end product expected.
Project duration: 10 days
Phase One: RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATION
A walking tour of Raval was taken on the first day to physically observe and understand El Raval and the brands that populate it. How the city of Barcelona, the local community members, local merchants, big brands and tourists interact with this space.
We interacted with the people, observed and documented our experiences by taking photographs and experienced Raval on a more human level and tried to get an insiders and outsiders perspective. The insights gathered were both expected and sometimes surprising.
Photographic documentation process of the community and the space
These insights were then collated and outlined as a creative brand strategy using the tools of branding and marketing.
The main touch points of the Creative Brand strategy
VISION:
Preserve the character and improve the experience to allow local families to live happy and content lives in a safe and multicultural RAVAL
CORE VALUES:
- Cultural diversity
- Family friendly
- Interactive communities
- Locally owned businesses
- Opportunity for local growth
BRAND PROMISE
A Raval that allows for positive experiences for the local community
AUDIENCE
Locals families, the existing multi-cultural communities of RAVAL.
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
Re-think the spaces of the local business that contribute to community interaction and highlight the multicultural diversity of the RAVAL
After finalizing the above creative design strategy, a point of intervention was required to showcase an example of how designers can work with the above document to improve a certain area of Raval and follow a more cohesive design language.
The Site - Carrer de Sant Pau
The site was a line of stores at Carrer de Sant pau, just a few meters from the iconic Filmoteca which was a key project in the gentrification of the Raval. The site consisted of four stores.
Site visit and analysis
The Requirement
The brief required a redesign on the facade of the below stores without any changes to the interior. A space of 3 feet was allowed from the entry point facing outwards.
The stores on the site were very common to the area of Raval and are small scale businesses usually owned by the immigrants and cater mostly to the local community rather than outsiders and tourists. The included stores were
- Moroccan Restaurant
- Supermarket
- Barber shop
- An electronic store
Having gained a thorough understanding of the neighborhood and its inhabitants, this knowledge was applied to the exploration of various project proposals, searching out unique opportunities for design intervention in the environment.
The Proposal
To bring the inside of the store outside and allow for the facade to serve more than one purpose. The proposal was to turn the facade into an interactive space wherein the community can engage with it and also create an opportunity for social cohesion and an open dialogue between the locals and the tourists.
Moodboard
Phase 3: THE DEVELOPMENT
DESIGN OBJECTIVE #1
Flexible facades
Multiple use facades that can be changeable by the shopkeepers, customers and the local community.
DESIGN STRATEGY#1
Transform everyday ordinary objects
Simple ephemeral structure
DESIGN OBJECTIVE #2
“Community Conversation”
Provide opportunities for the neighborhood to express itself.
DESIGN STRATEGY#2
Create a personal level of involvement
Promote group based activities
Create curiosity
DESIGN OBJECTIVE #3
“COMFORT + COMMERCE”
Bring people together (comfortably) and promote business
DESIGN STRATEGY#3
Flexible + multiuse furniture (DIY)
Create curiosity
Doesn’t necessarily have to look like sculptural furniture
Portable and easy to store
