Barcelona redesigns the courtyards of its schools

Greener patios, more co-educational and open to the neighborhood. With this philosophy, Barcelona progress towards its goal redesign their schoolyards. A total of 17 centers participate in the ‘Transformem els patis’ program through which students, teachers and families they have been involved in the process of deciding what they want the patio to look like. With them, there will now be 40 schools in the city that have modified these vital spaces for students.

the mayor, Ada Colauhas presented this Wednesday, from the courtyard of the school of La Concepción, one of the participants in the project, the novelties of this program. Accompanied by the Councilor for Education, Pau Gonzalezand the director of the school, Francesc Grauhas witnessed how 5th grade students they have explained how they have worked on the redesign of their patio.

The program ‘Transformem els patis’, promoted by the City hall of Barcelona and executed by the Education Consortium Barcelona, ​​this course has a budget of €3.5 million. During the school year, the centers elaborate their designs. Will be on summertaking advantage of the school break, when the plays that will turn those projects into reality.

Common Criteria

The city council, together with the Consorci and with the support of the Institute for Children and Adolescents, has defined some criteria that should be common to all the centers and who ensure that these spaces have a perspective educational, playful, feminist and environmental.

Y What will the new patios be like? Well, first of all, they should favor egalitarian relationships with the diversity of genders, cultural origins, abilities and ages and enable a “positive management” of conflicts.

The children must co-responsibility in your care.

Likewise, these spaces must offer diversity of activities playful, creative and outdoor and shared games. They must guarantee the contact of children with the naturegreen, earth, sand and water, so they will have the maximum number of natural elements.

They must be comfortable, functional and accessible. Also have an equitable distribution of spaces and with diverse environments. As for their connection with the neighbourhood, these spaces should favor diverse uses to “build community” outside of school hours.

Based on these criteria, the patios must include natural materials, sources and water games. Also trees and vegetation in sufficient number to create a natural space, with a volume of green. Likewise, this space must have spaces for shade. The designs must contemplate soft pavement spaces and at the same time ensure spaces for physical education and sport.

This would be the general framework. The final drawing will be decided by the educational community based on the center project and its needs and interests. And the council wants the children have a voice Featured in these designs.

40 renovated patios

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The 17 schools involved this year in the renovation of the patios are, in addition to La Concepció, La Castella, Tibidabo, Mercè Rodoreda, Rubén Darío, Mas Casanovas, Enric Granados, Mirades, Aldana, Gayarre, Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer, Sant Joan de la Creu, Elisenda de Montcada, Molí de Finestrelles, Turó Blau, Sagrer and Farigola del Clot. In addition to these 17, in the summer the schools of Les Aigües and Pau Casals will also carry out a second phase of works in their courtyards.

The plan to transform the schoolyards in Barcelona began in 2019 within the framework of a European project to create refuge patios in schools. Between 2019 and 2020, a total of 11 centers participated in that program. In the 2020-21 academic year, that project was expanded and transformed into a plan to progressively incorporate all public schools in the city. Then another 12 centers were added.