Grounded Futures: A New Biogeology for Barcelona

"Grounded Futures" explores how Barcelona’s unique geological history can form the base to create innovative, biomineralized building materials. By combining algae originating from the meditterean with calcium-rich construction waste typically from the region of Barcelona, the project proposes a systemic approach to rethink the material cultural embedded within it’s region. This approach and cooperation with the differant partners is crystalised by the development of three different blocks.

The Shift to Technosols
Modern urbanization has fundamentally altered the Earth’s surface. In cities like Barcelona, natural soil has been replaced by "technosols”, layers of soil heavily modified by human activity and dominated by materials like concrete, brick, and glass. Today, this accumulation of human-made mass globally outweighs all living biomass. "Grounded Futures" views this shift as the emergence of a new "biogeological stratum," where human construction mirrors the natural process of biomineralization.

Barcelona’s Geological Legacy
Barcelona’s geology is defined by millions of years of marine history. Ancient seas left behind vast calcareous deposits in the Catalan Central Depression and the Garraf Massif. These deposits are the source of the calcium-rich materials found in today’s Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW). By repurposing this waste through biological processes, the project turns urban debris back into a valuable resource, connecting the city’s built environment to the deep history of the Mediterranean bioregion.

The right material in the right place
This project hence advocates for the reintroduction of soft materials, such as biomineralized matter next to wood, fibres and earth, as the main building materials to create healthy and well-adapted spaces. By deploying hard and soft materials precisely where their performance is required, we can mimic nature’s subtle cycles and transitions between hard and soft layers; we can bring the built environment in balance with the ecosystem from which it continues.

Location: BarcelonaSpanje

Clients: Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Municipal Infrastructures (BIMSA) BIT Habitat Foundation Mies van der Rohe Foundation Barcelona Provincial Council and the UIA Congress