Inauguration of the shaded area installed with Cooltorise at the Cruyff Camp Jordi Alba

A day on climate resilience was held with the youngsters of Esplai Les Planes de L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.

This Thursday, July 18, took place the inauguration of the shade structure installed at the Cruyff Camp Jordi Alba in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat in the framework of the European project Cooltorise. This event brought together around twenty teenagers from Esplai Les Planes, some of whom had previously participated in the creative process of transforming the space to address climate change.

Youngsters between 12 and 17 years old enjoyed a day full of educational activities on climate resilience and prevention of the effects of heat aimed at fostering curiosity and learning among the participants.

The transformation process of the space is part of one of the outdoors interventions implemented with the Cooltorise project, funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 program, which has the participation of the Ecoserveis Cultura Energética Association and the Asociación Bienestar y Desarrollo – Grupo ABD, and which in the case of the transformation of the Cruyff Camp Jordi Alba has had the support of the City Council of l’Hospitalet de Llobregat.

The day began with a welcome by the alderman of the IV-V district, David Torres, and the coordinator of Integral Plans, Lluís Esteve. Esteve explained the motivation and objectives that have moved the City Council to carry out the intervention in this space.

Playful activities to learn to mitigate heat

Through various activities, the teenagers were able to explore concepts such as climate resilience, the greenhouse effect and the impact of high temperatures on health, especially the importance of the shade structure installed to mitigate these effects, an aspect that the young people were able to experience firsthand.

Participants were able to experiment with the use of measuring instruments such as temperature guns, thermometers, hygrometers and luxmeters to measure temperature, humidity and radiation at different points in space. These measurements allowed them to understand how the shade structure helps to reduce the risk to health from heat and solar radiation.

Activities aimed at understanding the concept of albedo, i.e. how light interacts with the color of surfaces and how this influences the heat absorbed by these surfaces, should be highlighted. The use of light surfaces in public spaces and in clothing are very useful measures to maximize the reflection of sunlight and prevent it from being absorbed as heat.

The young people have shown great interest in this phenomenon and have been able to verify its effects through various tests: they have measured the temperature differences between black and white fabrics exposed to the sun, and they have seen how bank balloons do not explode when exposed to the concentrated light of a magnifying glass while black balloons do explode. Thus, they have understood how the use of different colors and surfaces can serve to heat or cool.

The day concluded with a reflection on solutions to reduce the effects of heat and the importance of collaborating in the creation of more sustainable spaces.

All in all, the day was a great success, with the teenagers enjoying a morning full of discoveries and practical learnings that consolidated the use and meaning of the participatory process at Cruyff Camp Jordi Alba.

Two outdoor interventions in Barcelona

Between 2023 and 2024, two outdoor interventions have been carried out in Barcelona Metropolitan Area to improve their heat adaptation and mitigate the impact of climate change.

After several co-creation processes with the people involved in the use of these spaces, it was decided to use plants and a shade installation in the patio of the Espai Llavors bookstore and community space. The second intervention was the installation of shade next to the Cruyff Camp Jordi Alba.

Cooltorise is a European project coordinated by the Universidad Politécnica of Madrid UPM and implemented in Barcelona by ABD and Ecoserveis. Its objective is to reduce the impact of heat on the economy and welfare of families in vulnerable situations.

It is funded by the European Comission (Horizon 2020 program for the investigation and innovation).