LEKU STUDIO
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COMPANY CARD
Leku, lloc, lugar, place… a word that contains the essence of the studio with the creation and regeneration of spaces, landscapes and territories as the backbone of our architectural practice.
We design multi-scale plans and projects that integrate the social, ecological and aesthetic dimension with the aim of improving the lives of people and the environment in which we live. Leku is a flexible and transversal structure that works creating a network with professionals from different disciplines in teams capable of offering integral and specific solutions for each project. We are interested in the transforming potential of projects, from the most strategic territorial scale to the precision in detail and constructive definition.
Based in Barcelona and Bilbao, we have solid experience in the development of urban projects and innovative strategic plans based on new urban paradigms.
Areas of specialization:
- Urban and territorial strategic planning
- Urban project design
- Public space design
- Sustainable mobility plans and projects
- Landscape design
- Urban ecology
- Urban furniture design
- Consulting and design of innovative urban solutions
- Consulting on new urban models
CONTACT PERSON
Jokin Santiago / Marta Sola
Sector
Urbanism, ecology, architecture, landscape, urban design
SIZE
4 workers
ADDRESS
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 540, 2º-2ª, (08011) Barcelona
TELEPHONE
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BARCELONA SUPERBLOCKS
Streets are much more than spaces for mobility; they are necessary spaces for coexistence, play, health, inclusion and culture, and they are also a strategic support for adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change in cities. The challenge is great and new urban strategies are needed that allow us to act in an agile, progressive and consensual manner.
The Sant Antoni Superblock pilot project in Barcelona, an example of this innovative, progressive, sensitive and flexible approach, promotes the pacification and improvement of urban conditions in the neighborhood by redefining the use of public space, prioritizing community uses and pedestrian mobility over vehicles. The project continues the model established in the Supermanzanas Program, in this case by means of soft urbanization, using paint, tactical furniture and vegetation to condition and transform the roadway and the street section without the need for major works.
The conquest of a square in the Eixample grid is a milestone that vindicates the possibilities of the urban grid. The transformation of this iconic space has caused a decisive change in the way we perceive it, giving rise to different social forms of re-inhabiting the streets of the Eixample.
Being one of the main concerns of the project the flexibility and adaptability of the transformation, this new dynamic landscape is able to assimilate and incorporate modifications and variations resulting from the social needs as well as the joint learning derived from the implemented solutions.
The social gain of the street has generated a positive dynamic in the neighborhood, making neighbors and shopkeepers take ownership of the spaces, taking care of their use and care. All of this is accompanied by a notable 33% reduction in NO2 emissions, an 82% reduction in private vehicle traffic and a 5 dB reduction in noise pollution. On the other hand, the increase in urban greenery with its consequent mitigation of heat island, the promotion of bicycle mobility and a 28% increase in pedestrian mobility, draws a new landscape of civic axes and squares that shapes a more humane, healthy and green neighborhood of Sant Antoni, which is now a reference model for its extension in the rest of the city.
FLEXIBLE SQUARE
An innovative, flexible and durable urban element that enables the agile and reversible extension of the sidewalk.
A modular, adaptable and extensible system to transform streets by creating small social plazas in spaces previously occupied by cars. Its structure guarantees quick and easy assembly without requiring civil works or service infrastructure. Flexible Plaza guarantees universal accessibility by creating environmentally comfortable spaces around strategic areas such as terraces, school facilities, health centers, local stores…
The FLEXIBLE SQUARE model is based on the construction of a series of independent modular elements that guarantee an agile and reversible assembly of the platform, as well as its aggregability and the extensibility of the system through the addition of modules in longitudinal and transversal direction. The platform has been designed with the aim of creating a flexible and versatile system capable of adapting to various arrangements, both in alignment in parking lanes and in larger surfaces that allow the colonization of larger spaces such as chamfers or intersections. The elements that make up the family are characterized by the softness of their shapes, with rounded edges and warm textures that seek to offer higher levels of comfort through a human and friendly design.
The design of the elements is based on the premise of the economy of materials and their quality and durability. The sustainability of the system is based on its durability and flexibility through a set of pieces designed with materials of great resistance, adaptability and modularity, favoring the reuse and second life of the elements in different contexts, adapting to new conditions and needs of use.