On a recent visit to Barcelona I took some time to walk around Les Corts de Sarrià. The neighbourhood in the west of the city is home to Roca Barcelona Gallery, designed by Spanish architecture firm OAB, and a handful of striking mid-century apartment complexes. The latter are impressive works of concrete and steel, and I was instantly enamoured – until, on closer inspection, it became clear that several of them had their beams covered in anti-pigeon spikes. In architecture, as in many other things, the details matter and this was a blight on the beautiful concrete form. While the use of the spikes is understandable, I would argue that such interventions look worse than a building covered in pigeon excrement.
These structures are not alone. In metropolises across the globe, you’ll find netting, electrified wires, fake birds of prey and, of course, the ubiquitous metal spikes on awnings and beams. The approach also extends to other infrastructure aimed at deterring certain behaviours: lumpy bits of metal on park benches to put off skateboarders and blue lights in stairwells to prevent people from lingering.
This obsession with stopping unsavoury activities has led to a world where unsightly interventions are considered more acceptable than the consequences of certain human and animal behaviours. As owners, residents and custodians of buildings, we should want to keep them clean and tidy, yes, but buildings are made to be lived in, which means that they will get messy every now and then. I’d argue that occasionally having to clean a structure’s exterior of excrement is better than a space that is permanently blighted by unsightly spikes. Removing them will make our homes and neighbourhoods more visually appealing and inviting – and, at the very least, will make a walk around Les Corts de Sarrià much more enjoyable.
Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor.
