Chatting with Joan Batlle (Barcelona) allows us to look over decades of collaboration between Urbidermis and Batlleiroig. That same conversation also serves to look at the current and future challenges facing the urban and landscape design sector and for him to offer us a brief summary of his vision of quality design.<\/p>\n
Joan receives us in the offices of Batlleiroig. He is a partner in the firm, as well as an architect, landscape designer, the R&D director and landscape vice-director. An expert with years of experience, a passion for city design and keenly aware of the impact this has on people\u2019s lives. But when we ask him about the collaborative history with Urbidermis, he admits that \u201cjust the other day I was asking about that, because I said: \u2018That\u2019s been going on almost since I was born\u2019. And I asked the senior partners. Joan Roig and Enric Batlle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Small wonder. The history between Batlleiroig and Urbidermis goes back several decades. To the design of a street lamp. The classic V\u00eda L\u00e1ctea, which has become just one of the symbols of the hugely successful collaboration between both firms. The reason? Joan is in no doubt: \u201cOne thing that is very positive is talking directly with them. You can ask them their opinion. Have that moment when you exchange \u201ca couple of words\u201d which really add value. […] It goes beyond a closed catalogue\u201d.<\/p>\n"}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"texto_parrafo_pantalla_completa_interview","text_pantalla_completa_interview":"
Joan Batlle: \u201cIn such a changing environment, the key is constant conversation\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"imagenes_posicion_dinamica_interview","selecciona_tipo_de_imagen_posicion_dinamica":"left-single","grupo_imagen_texto_left":{"titulo_item_imagen_texto_left":"Parc Central","texto_item_imagen_texto_left":"Sant Cugat del Vall\u00e8s, Spain","imagen_item_imagen_texto_left":"https:\/\/www.urbidermis.com\/recursos\/imagenes_galeria\/20211105-Spain-Sant-Cugat-Parc-Central-VLF-NRB-Equipo-Urbidermis-04-x2400-1-x1000.jpg\n"},"grupo_imagen_texto_center":{"titulo_item_imagen_texto_center":"","texto_item_imagen_texto_center":"","imagen_item_imagen_texto_center":""},"grupo_imagen_imagen_texto":{"titulo_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"","texto_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"","imagen_first_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"","imagen_second_item_imagen_imagen_texto":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"texto_pregunta_respuesta_interview","direccion_de_texto_izquierda__derecha_pregunta_respuesta":"left","preguntas_respuestas_interview_repeater":[{"item_pregunta_repeater_interview":"","item_respuesta_repeater_interview":"
For Joan, the key to success is based on conversation. On that sensitivity that allows you to understand what is really needed for each project and be adaptable enough to provide an appropriate response. He tells us that having that flexibility in such a changing environment is a privilege. Finding that today in the market is not so simple.<\/p>\n
He sees it as an invitation to constant conversation, between collaborators, between professionals and, why not, between different disciplines. For Joan, these conversations will always eventually pool the wisdom and knowledge of other people who will undoubtedly have more knowledge and experience in another area.<\/p>\n
Knowing how to read where society is heading<\/strong><\/p>\n Part of the constant conversation that Joan is talking about is about sitting down and listening. Not just to other sector professionals. But also to what surrounds us.<\/p>\n That dialogue consists in paying attention to our environment and knowing how to understand what society\u2019s real needs are. \u201cIt\u2019s not about forcing anything, but rather just understanding what is happening. That\u2019s the best way of making a city\u201d.<\/p>\n This awareness and concern for their surroundings, for what is happening around them, has led Batlleiroig to adopt a natural approach to facing today\u2019s challenges. Because issues as diverse as connectivity or sensitivity to nature, have led them to \u201cmake modifications in our designs. To rise to the challenges of the future with flexibility\u201d.<\/p>\n"}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"imagen_pantalla_completa_interview","imagen_pantalla_completa_interview":"https:\/\/www.urbidermis.com\/recursos\/imagenes_galeria\/20230511-Spain-El-Masnou-Parc-Vallmora-ARP-Del-Rio-Bani-05-x2400-1-x1000.jpg\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"texto_pregunta_respuesta_interview","direccion_de_texto_izquierda__derecha_pregunta_respuesta":"right","preguntas_respuestas_interview_repeater":[{"item_pregunta_repeater_interview":"","item_respuesta_repeater_interview":" Lights that respect the natural cycles of fauna and flora and even urban furniture that enables users to connect to the Internet. All these innovations are nothing more than the fruit of open and constructive conversations about what people really need and how this should be addressed from a design perspective.<\/p>\n For Joan, that is what sets them apart from other companies: \u201cWe need to be quicker in reading where society is leading us.\u201d And that way of working is really what marks the difference. Because although design can be copied, a company\u2019s philosophy is something that comes deep from within.<\/p>\n Going out into nature<\/strong><\/p>\n Of all the conversations that we were forced into as a result of the pandemic, Joan highlights the need for all citizens to go out into nature. And that is precisely one of Batlleiroig\u2019s main working areas.<\/p>\n The relationship between the city and the rural world, for Joan, is another example of our society setting the pace for change. Where does the city reach, how do we want to use the rural environment or even what is truly necessary urbanistically speaking. All these debates must be guided by the course set by our surroundings.<\/p>\n"}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"texto_parrafo_pantalla_completa_interview","text_pantalla_completa_interview":" \u201cThere is a need to know how to do what is fair and necessary. To give greater prominence to outdoor space so it becomes richer, with fewer elements but applied intelligently.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"imagenes_posicion_dinamica_interview","selecciona_tipo_de_imagen_posicion_dinamica":"center-single","grupo_imagen_texto_left":{"titulo_item_imagen_texto_left":"","texto_item_imagen_texto_left":"","imagen_item_imagen_texto_left":""},"grupo_imagen_texto_center":{"titulo_item_imagen_texto_center":"Finestrelles planning","texto_item_imagen_texto_center":"Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain","imagen_item_imagen_texto_center":"https:\/\/www.urbidermis.com\/recursos\/imagenes_galeria\/20220526-Spain-Esplugues-De-Llobregat-Finestrelles-ARB-Equipo-Urbidermis-00-x2400-1-x1000.jpg\n"},"grupo_imagen_imagen_texto":{"titulo_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"","texto_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"","imagen_first_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"","imagen_second_item_imagen_imagen_texto":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"texto_pregunta_respuesta_interview","direccion_de_texto_izquierda__derecha_pregunta_respuesta":"left","preguntas_respuestas_interview_repeater":[{"item_pregunta_repeater_interview":"","item_respuesta_repeater_interview":" Let\u2019s take Barcelona\u2019s Blue Ways as an example. 140 kilometres of paths for cyclists and walkers along the banks of the Llobregat river. A project in which there are practically no street lamps, no benches, no litter bins and not even any water fountains. A project that places the conservation of the local nature and its use at the centre of the conversation. Something entirely unthinkable 20 years ago, but which today is a reality.<\/p>\n For Joan, all these conversations are necessary and some of them remain to be had. \u201cFrom a technical viewpoint, it is hard to understand why rainwater is still being directed towards the sewers, that it\u2019s not being used to water areas of greenery and, ultimately, make cities more liveable. Society talks about the negative effects of the heat island and yet, contradictorily, we continue to overlook the natural management of water in our cities\u201d.<\/p>\n The need for real and constructive conversations about the city model we want is clear. Without politicising the issue, from a technical standpoint. \u201cIt\u2019s not about romanticising a type of city, but rather realising that this is what society is asking for and that we have to provide a response.\u201d<\/p>\n"}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"imagen_pantalla_completa_interview","imagen_pantalla_completa_interview":"https:\/\/www.urbidermis.com\/recursos\/imagenes_galeria\/01-1-x1000.jpg\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"texto_pregunta_respuesta_interview","direccion_de_texto_izquierda__derecha_pregunta_respuesta":"right","preguntas_respuestas_interview_repeater":[{"item_pregunta_repeater_interview":"","item_respuesta_repeater_interview":" Looking for the positive impact of design<\/strong><\/p>\n Like most people who work in design, urban planning and landscape architecture, Joan also believes in their power to transform. \u201cWhat we need to do is avoid being negative […] but rather seek out positive elements that help people to change\u201d.<\/p>\n He talks about the uses of space. About paying attention to people in order to understand their needs when it comes to interacting with our surroundings. It is the designer\u2019s responsibility to seek out those uses that have been unthinkable in cities until now.<\/p>\n \u201cI love to imagine small scenes, environments. And often, when we install a bench, we accompany it with two chairs. For conversation. So that these can generate more conversations\u201d, he tells us.<\/p>\n Before our conversation comes to an end, we ask him what he feels when he sees the uses he\u2019d imagined for his designs made real. Children playing, families out strolling or even the improvised terrace of an ice cream parlour. Often, the transformative impact of a space goes beyond what he\u2019d imagined and that \u201cgives you a sense of recognition\u201d. Recognition after each project of all that listening and flexibility.<\/p>\n"}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"imagenes_posicion_dinamica_interview","selecciona_tipo_de_imagen_posicion_dinamica":"doble-img-single","grupo_imagen_texto_left":{"titulo_item_imagen_texto_left":"","texto_item_imagen_texto_left":"","imagen_item_imagen_texto_left":""},"grupo_imagen_texto_center":{"titulo_item_imagen_texto_center":"","texto_item_imagen_texto_center":"","imagen_item_imagen_texto_center":""},"grupo_imagen_imagen_texto":{"titulo_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"Rambla de la Girada","texto_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"Vilafranca del Pened\u00e8s, Spain","imagen_first_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"https:\/\/www.urbidermis.com\/recursos\/imagenes_galeria\/20240402-Spain-Vilafranca-del-Penedes-Rambla-de-la-Girada-MOB-NRBLV-C8F-Equipo-Urbidermis-37-x2400-1-x1000.jpg\n","imagen_second_item_imagen_imagen_texto":"https:\/\/www.urbidermis.com\/recursos\/imagenes_galeria\/20240402-Spain-Vilafranca-del-Penedes-Rambla-de-la-Girada-NRBLV-MOB-C8F-Equipo-Urbidermis-10-x2400-1-x1000.jpg\n"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"texto_pregunta_respuesta_interview","direccion_de_texto_izquierda__derecha_pregunta_respuesta":"right","preguntas_respuestas_interview_repeater":[{"item_pregunta_repeater_interview":"","item_respuesta_repeater_interview":" Rambla de la Girada – Vilafranca del Pened\u00e8s<\/strong><\/p>\n For Joan, this project \u201cis a project that goes beyond explaining the collaboration with Urbidermis, it explains far more than that\u201d. Such as the importance of having conversations about rainwater management, how we use public spaces or the amount of vegetation we want around us. The final aim is to generate environments that improve living conditions in cities. In our streets and parks.<\/p>\n This project is an example of the constant conversation between Batlleiroig and Urbidermis, specifically with the Projects Department. A conversation that focuses on listening to the real needs of society and finding tailormade solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the end it went from just a normal street to being a park in the middle of the city, a green thoroughfare\u201d. That impact is what Joan talks about throughout the interview. About the importance of creating spaces that add value to people\u2019s lives and generate positive experiences with their surroundings.<\/p>\n"}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"texto_parrafo_pantalla_completa_interview","text_pantalla_completa_interview":" After all, that is what urban and landscape design is all about. Fostering quality interactions, conversations with the environment. \u201cYou imagine that something is happening here. That things could happen. […] Public space is like a series of small living rooms from lots of homes.\u201d<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"entrevista_imagen_centrada_interview","titulo_entrevista_imagen_centrada":"Joan Batlle","texto_entrevista_imagen_centrada":"Landscape designer, architect, R&D director and deputy landscape director at Batlleiroig","imagen_entrevista_imagen_centrada":"https:\/\/www.urbidermis.com\/recursos\/imagenes_galeria\/04-1-x1000.jpg\n"}],"abstract":"","read_time":"15","imagen_de_fondo_header_generic":"","article_paragraphs":false,"short_description":"We look at years of collaboration with Urbidermis and the importance of conversations. Of knowing how to listen, to read the changes that society needs and design quality solutions.","imagen_para_banner_articulos_por_defecto_single_post":"","activar_simulate_banner_interview":false,"imagen_portada_proyecto_single_proyecto":"https:\/\/www.urbidermis.com\/recursos\/imagenes_galeria\/Urbidermis-Adaptabilidad-PlanComms-Entrevista-Joan-Foto-01-AAFF-x1000.jpg\n"},"yoast_head":"\n