ceramic blue tiles clad h3o architects' communal barbecue in spain

h3o architects completes the communal barbecue in costa brava

Public spaces shape the rhythms of communal life, and in the Mediterranean, few traditions embody this more than the act of sharing a meal. In Castell d’Aro, a small industrial town in Costa Brava, Barcelona-based h3o architects have reimagined an overlooked municipal barbecue as the nucleus of a renewed urban plaza. The Communal Barbecue (La Barbacoa Comunal) is enlivened by three key design gestures: a sculptural barbecue, a zigzagging communal table, and a re-naturalized landscape. Clad in striking blue tiles with ceramic details, the key feature — the cooking space — echoes the hues of the Mediterranean, topped by a pergola-pamela with an organic, sweeping form, that offers shade for those cooking, its chimney rising like a landmark visible from afar.

all images by Jose Hevia

a nod to mediterranean culture

Initially conceived as a car park providing access to the Vía Verde del Carrilet, a well-traveled hiking route, the space had gradually been overtaken by vehicles, leaving the barbecue corner semi-obscured and underutilized. Yet, on special occasions, this overlooked feature became the backdrop for community meals, a spontaneous revival of an otherwise neglected site. Recognizing the power of shared meals in fostering social bonds, h3o architects centered their intervention around this beloved communal ritual.‘Collective meals have always been a central pillar of community identity and social cohesion in our Mediterranean culture,’ say Adrià Orriols, Joan Gener, and Miquel Ruiz of h3o architects.

‘Street dinners during local festivals, calçotades with friends in February, Sunday barbecues, or blowing out birthday candles with classmates in a park — these are all moments that foster community through food,’ the team continues. Their design amplifies this tradition by embedding architectural elements that invite participation and interaction, with a zigzagging series of tables adjacent to the cooking space winding through the landscape, accommodating up to 50 diners. This surface becomes an architectural gesture, inviting spontaneous conversation, shared meals, and lingering interaction. Designed with accessibility in mind, it also features gaps to adapt to different needs and configurations.

h3o architects reimagines a municipal barbecue as the nucleus of a renewed urban plaza

a landscape intervention for communal gathering

Beyond this social function, the intervention integrates a deliberate landscape strategy, countering the environmental shortcomings of the former asphalt lot. By preserving existing trees and introducing native vegetation that encourages bird nesting and pollination, the project restores an ecological dimension to the space. Rocks of varying sizes punctuate the terrain, offering both visual texture and seating opportunities, while the barbecue’s vibrant colors stand in playful contrast to the earthy tones of the rewilded plaza.

Perhaps most significantly, the intervention dismantles the heat-trapping asphalt, replacing it with a fractured arrangement of textured surfaces. Two distinct paths — one weaving through greenery, the other linking the main street to the barbecue — create a permeability that seamlessly integrates the plaza into its surroundings, reducing the ‘heat island’ effect and redefining the space as a cooler, more inviting public realm.

the site was a former car park