- interpretative redrawing: The graphic re-elaboration of the materials allows to explain some settlements and design issues among which: relationship building-context; relationship shape-structure; relationship external path-internal distribution; relationship player's space-spectator's space; etc. In addition to highlighting the characters of each architectures, such re-elaboration have a key-role to identify variants and invariants of sports and leisure facilities
- comparative approach to the identified time-span. The comparative work aim to identify the sports issues in the projects. In particular invariants and variables: characters of permanence and innovation of design compared with restrictions given by technical requirements of sports spaces. As it will be better shown later, the relationship between type unit (minimal technical requirements) and architectural variation (typology experimentation) is defining the sports pavilion
- atlas to design: compared to the mentioned themes, such materials come together in the drafting of an atlas for design. Relationship building-context, architecture-typology, shape-structure, etc., are declined through the work done on case-studies to codify a range to which the designer could refer to during the design process of a sport and leisure facilities
3. THE CATALAN CONTEXT
The development of sports practice is inherently commingled with the social and political conditions of the country. The sport's historian Sixte Abadia Naudi[5] compares the democratic transition of Spain to the dissemination of sports practice “para todos”. \cite{Abadia_Naud__2015} In the first period, 1975-1979, sport associations are the main promoters of the indispensable[6] reorganization of leisure activities. From 1979 on, it is the charter of self-government which stated that sports policy would be the exclusive competence of the Generalitat, so for the first time during peacetime, this regional Catalan institution was able to organize sports. In the same year the Manifesto, edited by Asociaciones de Vecinos de Barcelona, finds the main set of problems of the city, among which
Sports equipment should be obtained, deprivatizing sports areas, to municipal ones, rearranging free zones for the construction of new equipment for the practice of sports. It will be extremely important to coordinate actions with school, cultural and sports facilities. \cite{AA.VV__1979}
This quotation clarifies that the understanding of sport they are looking at is the one of "deporte para todos" (sports-for-all) to be integrated with the educational and cultural ones (functional integration). Sport is considered to be part of a system of basic equipments, to be included in a plan to rehabilitar[7] (to rehabilitate) the city that is already built[8] \cite{Bohigas__1985} \cite{Bohigas__1986}. Therefore it is important that it is reached a widespread diffusion of these facilities within the city and that they are linked to other services as well (for example, a civic centre or a school).
Within the literature on the subject of Catalan sports architecture a text particularly relevant to the research's frame is Barcelona. Arquitectura y ciudad 1980-1992, introduced, among others, by an essay by Oriol Bohigas[9]. In Arquitectura deportiva en Cataluña two are the main issue among which the author focuses: the role played by the Sixties generation and the antecedent of the Escola de Mar. \cite{Bohigas__1990}
In relation to the Sixties generation, made by the generation of architects graduated during the Sixties at the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB), Bohigas identifies within a geographical and temporal unit, a diversification of the architectural panorama resulting from a contamination of classicism, systematic plainness, minimal adornment, etc. It is to demonstrate that in the face of technical limits provided by the public administration, the expressive autonomy of designers is achieved.
In relation to the antecedent of the Escola de Mar, which will be better analyzed later, the author identifies the relationship sport-public customer. Understanding the role of the public equipament[10] (equipment) is central for research purposes: sports architecture is part of the group of public equipment, strategic issue for urban rehabilitation projects. \cite{AA.VV__1983}
Compared to the research themes, Bohigas' text reiterates some crucial issues, among which:
- development and promotion of non-competitive sports practice
- functional integration of sports with other services
- public equipment to rehabilitate part of the city
- architectural experimentation and generations of designers
3.1 RESEARCH TOOLS AND METHODS
Bibliographical and iconographical research on the catalan context was done according to tools described above, as:
- archival research: at Arxiu Històric del Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya; Arxiu Històric de la Ciutat de Barcelona, Arxiu Municipal de Barcelona. I'm planning a work-package to do in the next months at archives of designers of the Sixties generation
- research at libraries: at Biblioteca de Catalunya and Biblioteca dell' INEFC of Barcelona I research about the main issue as the strategy of sports promotion and the development of sports infrastructure in the region; at Biblioteca municipal de Barcelona de Sant Pau-Santa Creu I refer to the pubblication made by Ajuntament to disseminate the urban rehabilitation's strategy and on-going works; at Biblioteca del Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya I deepened the issue of architecture of sports facilities through the culling of monographs and architectural journals (among which On Diseño, Cuadernos de arquitectura y urbanismo, A&V. Monografías de Arquitectura y Vivienda, Arquitectura Viva)
- meeting and interviews: a series of meeting were organized with officers of the public department to deepening the theme of the carried strategies for the sports promotion. I'm in contact with: Carles Ventura, coordinator of the office Projectes i Obres at the Institut Barcelona Esports; Enric Truñó, counsellor from 1979 to 1998 of several departments: youth (1979-1991), sport[11] (1981-1995), education (1995-1997) and turism (1991-1998)
- surveys and study-trip: two study-trips were leaded, between November and December 2016; thematic itineraries previously planned with the aim of a direct experience of the city and places studied were followed
The collected bibliographical and iconographical materials was organized according to the method above described: reasoned bibliography organized by issues; register of works; filing of a selection of works; interpretative re-drawing of a case-study (during the next months it will be done for a wider selection of case-studies).
These materials are the annexes to this paper.
3.2 THEMES
Through the research done so far, it is possible to identify some key-themes:
- public equipment in Catalunya
- sport equipment in consolidated city
- sports pavilion - type unit
- sports facilities integrated to schools
3.2.1 Public equipment in Catalunya
Taking back the periodization that the historian Sixte Abadia Naudi identified studying the process of democratization of sport practice in the Catalan region it is possible to understand the deep relationship between political choices and the development of sports practice. This theme, or the relationship between public amministration and politics of sports development, is the argument of the text La ciutat de les anelles by Enric Truñó \cite{Truñó__1987}. The author, to describe the process that brings Barcelona to host the XXV Olympic Games, points out some key-dates and enforcement measures related to Generalidad and Ajuntament decision about public architectures. With a view to the research it seemed useful to system this information with, on one hand, the architectures that represent the implementation of the politics decision, and on the other hand, the publications that outlining the relationship architectural design and urban strategy. This chronological order is taken to draw-up the following table that correlates: architectures, key-dates for public institution and enforcement measures, publications.