The three proposed types of paving stone include innovative technologies in their design, so that once installed in the street, they will reduce the noise of passing vehicles, dampen the effect of urban heat island and neutralise polluting gases. They will also provide greater permeability and maximum durability.

Barcelona City Council will spend a year assessing the new concrete paving stones laid out in a 2,500 m2 area in the green hub in Carrer dels Almogàvers, between Carrer Roc Boronat and Carrer Badajoz, to analyse their resistance, noise behaviour, slide, water filtrations and solar reflectance index, among other criteria.

The results obtained will then be assessed for incorporating this type of paving in future public work contracts.

The three winning designs in the Bit Habitat Foundation’s challenge, “Concrete Paving Stones of the 21^st century” from the company Breinco, “Panot+” from Constraula and “R3Panot” from Escofet, were manufactured with recycled materials, including recycled aggregates and cement from waste, for the purposes, on the one hand, of boosting the circular economy and, on the other, of reducing CO2 emissions, in accordance with Barcelona’s goal of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030.