Concéntrico in Madrid
26 September – 16 October 2022
Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda
Paseo de la Castellana, 67 – Jardines de Nuevos Ministerios
After celebrating the eighth edition from 1 to 6 September 2022 in Logroño, Concéntrico presents in Madrid the itinerancy of the festival programmed with the General Directorate of Urban Agenda and Architecture of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.
A LA MESA! by Ander López and Sarai Olabarrieta
From the most routine day-to-day events to some of the most important moments in history have taken place at tables. At the table, people eat, study, play, debate, read, make handicrafts… and even sign peace treaties. A table has the power to create such powerful scenes around it as Marina Abramovic’s performance “The Artist Is Present”, The Last Supper or the now iconic image left by the recent meeting between Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron in Moscow this February 2022.
A la mesa! aims to host all kinds of picturesque situations. Located at the crossroads of several urban fabrics, it aims to be the meeting point of its communities.
100 CHAIRS AND 3 URBAN HALLS by Izaskun Chinchilla
The interventions that we present in Madrid are part of the project 100 Chairs and 3 Urban Lounges, an open process that we have been developing since December 2021 together with its author, Izaskun Chinchilla, and that we have enjoyed in Logroño in the boulevard of Avenida de la Paz, in front of the Town Hall Square.
URBAN HALLS
These are ephemeral structures designed to occupy urban spaces previously destined for cars when our cities systematically implement their low-emission areas. The lounges are conceived as convivial spaces, inspired by the domestic sphere, which will allow the population to make use of public space, meet and converse, without consuming or paying for any service. The aim of the lounges is that the important freeing up of space, which implies a change in urban mobility already proposed by many city councils, is used for civic purposes and not colonised exclusively by the hotel and catering industry. It is also intended that these spaces play an important role in supporting biodiversity in the city. The idea is to associate, in the public mind, our spaces of enjoyment, those of humans, with actions of care for other species and for our environment.
The strategy that has proven most effective in cities that lack biodiversity corridors is the use of squares and public spaces as nodes in a species support network. Squares and rooftops are part of a grid that can enable environmental and health preservation. The strategy is to increase the nodes of this grid that already form green spaces and squares with as many new points as possible, including our biodiverse halls, ensuring proximity and diversity.
BUTTERFLY LOUNGE
Butterflies, as members of a complex ecological network, of which they are fundamental participants, are important pollinators of plants, mutually benefiting each other for millions of years. Their caterpillars play a major role in vegetation control and are also a valuable source of food for many animals. This ephemeral urban installation incorporates a series of plants that attract and support the species of butterflies native to the city of Logroño.
It incorporates two breeding areas where they can complete their life cycle, including the egg and larval stages. As in the rest of the halls, rest areas for citizens are incorporated. In this way, the aim is to ensure that the traffic lanes that disappear from the cities are destined for civic uses and that they incorporate an educational strategy on the importance of biodiversity in the city and on some of the fundamental actors for its conservation: in this case, butterflies and humans.
The action aims to have a scalable value. From balconies and terraces to gardens and public parks, it is possible to create green spaces that improve the quality of the environment and repopulate the city with butterflies, knowing the species and the elements included in this room.
BIRD HALL
Birds have two ways of successfully adapting to urban environments: having large brains or reproducing repeatedly and abundantly throughout their life cycle, according to a study by University College of London. Apart from these biological adaptation mechanisms, something that humans can do, especially for species that do not have these resources, is to provide water and food in as many places as possible and with as regular a distribution as possible, as well as to provide nesting and roosting areas, keeping them in the shade and partially hidden from possible predators.
This urban hall incorporates at its ends a series of horizontal dishes to hold seeds and water and to provide food and hygiene support for different species of birds. Water is especially important for the birds because most of the species living in the city need to drink at least twice a day. Bathing is important to maintain the functionality of the feathers and to get rid of parasites. This salon, like the butterfly salon, aims to promote a scalable action, encouraging many citizens to incorporate water and food for birds on balconies, terraces, rooftops, patios, gardens or windows.
Having your own bird drinker and feeder on the facade of your building and keeping it clean will give you the opportunity to get a closer look at the different species and observe their nature, habits and behaviour. The Bird Lounge incorporates a series of seating areas that allow you to see the birds at close quarters. These seats are partially protected and hidden by plants. The citizens who visit them will be exceptional witnesses of this behaviour and, we hope, this experience will encourage them to make a home installation of the same type.
The room establishes a relationship between human actions and animal reactions. Partially hidden in the vegetation, visitors can choose to be quiet and still or engage in a lively conversation. Their chances of being surrounded by birds will be different in each case.
BIT-BOX, TWIG AND FLOR by Escofet
Escofet is a Barcelona-based company that has established itself as a benchmark in public spaces, projecting the company’s Mediterranean character internationally, a testimony to our presence in avenues, parks, streets, squares and boulevards all over the world. Bit-Box – Concrete parklet system We have developed a provisional and movable pavement extension platform system as an urgent response to the need to consolidate and organise the occupation of the roadway. The objective is to create a concrete parklet to replace parking spaces and gain public space for citizens, while respecting the necessary conditions of accessibility and safety.
Twig is a system of benches that synthesises the concepts of modularity, fluidity, connection and interactivity between its users. Its form of organic aggregation from a single three-armed model makes it possible to create “meeting places” in the landscape, branching out under the shade of the trees and at the same time suggesting new uses, linking the border between the green and paved space.
Flor is a concrete bench that comes in two formats and is coupled through a subtle play of similarities and differences. The optimistic design of this piece, biomorphic and radial, allows for flexible use in pairs or individually, preserving the user’s intimacy.