SOCIAL HOUSING IN BARCELONA

PROJECT: SOCIAL HOUSING, 67 DWELLINGS
SITE: TRINITAT NOVA, BARCELONA
LOCATION: CARRER PALAMÓS 70-84
COMPETITION: 1ST PRIZE
DATA PROJECT: 2017-2019
CONSTRUCTION: 2021-2023
BUILT AREA:11.636M²
ENERGY CERTIFICATION: A CTE
DEVELOPER: IMHAB
AUTHORS: DATAAE + NARCH + MAIRA ARQUITECTES
COLLABORATORS: ALEJANDRO AYALA, MÒNICA MOSSET
TEAM: MVA(STRUCTURE CONSULTING), SOCIETAT ORGÀNICA (ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING), ÀUREA ACÚSTICA (ACOUSTICS), L3J (BUILDING PHYSICS), BRUFAU CUSÓ ESTUDI (QUANTITY SURVEYOR)
IMAGE: ADRIÀ GOULA
AWARDS: CSACE 2024 – SELECTION, FAD2004 – SELECTION

THE BUILDING OF 67 SOCIAL HOUSING UNITS CONSISTS OF TWO BASEMENT FLOORS WITH A PARKING PROGRAMME, A GROUND FLOOR WITH THE ACCESSES TO THE NUCLEI AND 5 UPPER FLOORS. THE BUILDING IS COMPLETED BY A MUNICIPAL FACILITY (KINDERGARTEN) AT STREET LEVEL. VOLUMETRICALLY, THE BUILDING PROPOSES A SERIES OF SETBACKS THAT BREAK UP THE LARGE SCALE OF THE BUILDING AND ADD COMPLEXITY TO THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. THE PROPOSAL IS INTEGRATED INTO A CHARACTERISTIC GRID OF THE TRINITAT NOVA NEIGHBOURHOOD OF LARGE ISOLATED BLOCKS. 

THE BUILDING IS DESIGNED THROUGH THE AGGREGATION OF A CROSS-SHAPED TYPOLOGY OF TWO DWELLINGS PER LANDING, WITH TWO OR THREE ROOMS. THIS TYPOLOGY IS THE RESULT OF THE SEQUENCE OF EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR ROOMS. THE PIECES ARE ORGANISED THROUGH A NON-HIERARCHICAL MESH THAT ALLOWS THE SPACES TO BE ADAPTABLE, FLEXIBLE, INCLUSIVE AND VERSATILE TO CHANGES IN USE DURING THE USEFUL LIFE OF THE DWELLING. 

THE CRUCIFORM GROUND PLAN CONSTITUTES THE STANDARD UNIT THAT WILL BE ADDED TO FORM THE FINAL VOLUME. THIS CROSS-SHAPED ORGANISATION PERMITS AN UNINTERRUPTED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EXTERIOR, ABANDONING THE CONCEPT OF “MAIN FAÇADE-SERVICE FAÇADE” THANKS TO ITS TWO COURTYARDS SITUATED AT EACH END. AN ACCESS COURTYARD, OPEN AND CLOSE TO THE KITCHEN AND THE MORE DOMESTIC TASKS OF LIVING, AND ANOTHER COURTYARD THAT CAN BE CLOSED OFF BY MEANS OF SLIDING WINDOWS AT THE OPPOSITE END, CLOSE TO THE LIVING ROOM, WHICH ACTS AS A SOLAR CAPTURING OR FILTERING GALLERY DEPENDING ON THE SEASON.

THE PROJECT AIMS TO INCORPORATE PASSIVE ENERGY-SAVING MEASURES TO MAXIMISE THE ENERGY AUTONOMY OF THE DWELLINGS; IN THIS WAY, THE SOUTH-EAST-FACING GALLERIES PROVIDE THE LIVING-DINING-KITCHEN SURFACE WITH LARGE ENERGY GAINS DURING THE WINTER, WHILE IN SUMMER THE TWO COURTYARDS WITH THEIR OVERHANGS PROVIDE PROTECTION FROM THE SUN AND CAST SHADOWS ON THE OPENINGS.THE COMBINATION OF OPTIMAL SOLAR PROTECTION WITH AN OPEN-PLAN LAYOUT THAT FACILITATES CROSS VENTILATION AND THE INERTIA OF THE STRUCTURAL SLABS, ALLOWS THE DWELLINGS TO BE HIGHLY RESILIENT TO THE HIGH SUMMER TEMPERATURES.

THE STRUCTURE OF EXPOSED CONCRETE PILLARS AND STRIPS IS CLEARLY VISIBLE ON THE FAÇADE, TRANSFERRING THE RIGOUR OF THE MESH ON THE GROUND PLAN TO THE ELEVATION, ONCE THE PRESENCE OF THERMAL BRIDGES HAS BEEN RESOLVED BY MEANS OF AN INTERMEDIATE LAYER OF INSULATION. THIS STRUCTURAL GRID, EXPRESSLY SHOWN ON THE FAÇADE, HELPS TO REINFORCE THE RHYTHM OF INCOMING AND OUTGOING ELEMENTS IN THE FINAL VOLUMETRY, GIVING THE WORK AS A WHOLE A PATTERN, CONSTANCY AND RIGOUR AS STRUCTURING ELEMENTS IN A CURRENT DISPERSED ENVIRONMENT.