Plaça de Josep Barangé
The Plaça de Josep Barange, popularly known as "plaça del cony" is located in the center of Granollers. Originally, this square was where the arrival of the first Granollers railway line was located. This square, as we know it today, was designed by the architects Albert Vilaplana and Helio Piñon in 1987. These two architects were pioneers in the field of urban planning, since in addition to this square, a few years earlier (1981 -1983) had designed the current Plaça dels Països Catalans in Barcelona, which is located in front of Sants station.
Plaça de Josep Barange is completely paved and the most prominent elements of the urban furniture are large inclined screens of metal mesh and unique lampposts in the color of operating room green, in the form of inclined beams that seem to sprout from the ground. These elements were one of the reasons why the square did not enjoy much social acceptance, since it was not fully understood what they meant and why they served. Some postulated that the green lanterns symbolized a snake, others said that it could represent the geography of Catalonia, or even the cardinal points. What is clear is that during the months of remodeling the square, the people of Granollers were constantly questioning what they were doing, or rather, "what the hell was that?". And it is for this reason that the square is popularly known by this name.
Although popular approval was not very high, it was selected for the FAD awards in 1988. The project developed by Vilaplana and Piñon met the needs of the city at the time of its realization, since it proposed a free and completely paved surface, with design elements, never before seen in the city's urban planning, that gave an air of modernity to the square and to Granollers in general.
The truth is that, like everything, the needs of cities change, and it is for this reason that a project to reconfigure the square has recently been approved which promotes the use and functionality of this strategic space of the city and will improve the quality of the urban space. Among other things, green areas will be incorporated that will give priority to pedestrians and bicycles throughout the area, restricting road traffic.
⠀
