The Santa Mònica, arts centre and climatic refuge in the Raval

• The Santa Mònica joins the #RavalEstiuEducatiu climate shelter project and is committed to turning the arts centre into a green, comfortable and resilient space in the face of the climate emergency.
• ALPHA, Climate Shelter for Humans and Birds, an artistic installation by TAKK that turns the Santa Mònica terrace into a climate shelter for birds and different species.

Faced with the summer heat, the Santa Mònica offers itself as a climatic and cultural refuge for the neighbourhood and the centre's users, and inaugurates an artistic installation by TAKK to transform the centre's terrace into a greener, more comfortable space and a refuge for birds and other species.

This year Santa Mònica joins the 16 spaces in the Raval that offer free climatic shelter, rest areas, wifi, air conditioning and water, spaces to read, play or do sport as part of the community project #RavalEstiuEducatiu. This is the third edition of this project of the Raval Community Education Group, promoted by the Fundació Tot Raval, in which an average of 600 children and young people from the neighbourhood participate. The different climate shelters can be consulted on the #RavalEstiuEducatiuEducatiu map and, thanks to the joint work of some forty socio-educational organisations and facilities, are added to the usual programme of activities to have fun and stay cool in the neighbourhood from 15 June to 15 September.

In the city, the large accumulation of materials such as asphalt and concrete cause what is known as the heat island effect, which results in temperatures up to 8ºC higher in these environments than in other rural or natural environments, thus contributing to global warming and affecting the different species that coexist in urban centres. This phenomenon is particularly intense on Barcelona's Rambla during the summer, where 200,000 people pass by every day and where up to 15 species of birds live.

With the aim of making the centre a more resilient space in the face of the climatic emergency, the Santa Mònica has worked with the TAKK studio to design a temporary installation on the terrace capable of softening the climatic conditions of the environment from July to September, setting itself up as a climatic refuge for different species.

The artistic proposal ALPHA, Climate Shelter for Humans and Birds is characterised by a large roof that generates a shaded space and contains branches and natural elements that can be used by birds to accommodate nests placed in the highest parts of the installation. A garden in the central part attracts insects and pollinators while cooling the temperature of the complex, and a perimeter bench invites users to rest and establish relationships different from the usual ones on the Rambla, which are generally based on consumption.

In parallel, the centre is also working to implement a series of sustainability and eco-efficiency measures promoted by the Distintivo de garantía de calidad ambiental (DGQA), the Catalan eco-labelling programme.

MORE INFORMATION:

TAKK – ALPHA, Climate Shelter for Humans and Birds:
https://artssantamonica.gencat.cat/ca/detall/ALPHA-Climate-Shelter-for-Humans-and-Birds

Map #RavalEstiuEducatiu:
https://totraval.org/sites/default/files/mapa_raval_estiu_educatiu_2023_a4_doble_cara.pdf  

The Santa Mònica:
https://artssantamonica.gencat.cat/ca/arts-santa-monica