Piedra Tosca Park | Strengthening the singularity of the volcanic landscape | RCR

The project by RCR arquitectes recovers the place subtly and makes it accessible to visitors. An intervention that reinforces the character of the landscape and activates the surprise factor in its discovery.

“In the volcanic Natural Park of La Garrotxa in Les Preses, near Olot, there is a unique place: a sea of rocks that is the product of the basaltic mass of the Croscat volcano and the result of man’s hard struggle to own a piece of land to harvest. A fertile terrain in which the plots were gradually levelled and the stones removed to be used later in broad walls, mounds and sheds. Their morphological bumpy and tactile texture stimulates the senses.”

“The project aims to recover the place cleaning it of weeds and undergrowth, strengthening its rough character through the sight of the accumulated stones and suggesting an itinerary that permits discovering the park little by little. A series of signs or the vegetation itself show landmarks, forks and frames along the path. A biological agriculture, of products hardly ever harvested in the region, is kept in good condition.”

“The most marked intervention is located, however, in the access to the precinct. A series of grooves, traced between the volcanic stone by discontinuous walls of Corten steel sheet, creates an initiation path of ridged triangular geometry, endowed with a severe, bold and, to a great extent, unknown beauty.”

Images: Plataforma Arquitectura

Text: AV Monografías 137 (2009) Madrid: Arquitectura Viva