SOCIAL HOUSING IN MONTGAT

PROJECT: SOCIAL HOUSING, 39 DWELLINGS
SITE: MONTGAT. BARCELONA
LOCATION: CAMÍ DE LES BATERIES 24-26.
COMPETITION: 1ST PRIZE
PROJECT: 2008-2019
CONSTRUCTION: 2020-2022
BUILT AREA: 4.785 m²
ENERGY CERTIFICATION: A CTE
DEVELOPER: IMPSOL
AUTHORS: DATAAE + XAVIER VENDRELL STUDIO
COLLABORATORS: PAU CORNELLANA, ILEANA MANEA, ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ
TEAM: MANUEL ARGUIJO ASSOCIATES (STRUCTURE CONSULTING), SOCIETAT ORGÀNICA (ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING), L3J (BUILDING PHYSICS), EULÀLIA ARAN (QUANTITY SURVEYOR)
IMAGE: ADRIÀ GOULA
AWARDS: CSCAE 2022 – FINALIST

THE BUILDING OF 39 SOCIAL HOUSING UNITS WITH PARKING SOLVES THE CONTINUITY WITH THE EXISTING URBAN FABRIC AND, AT THE SAME TIME, GENERATES A NEW FAÇADE RESPECTING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE PARK. THE PROJECT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE PERI-URBAN CONDITION OF THE SITE AND THE 18M HEIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STREETS TO SPLIT THE BUILDING AND EQUIP THE THREE NEW VOLUMES WITH GALLERIES, INTRODUCING GREEN SPACE BETWEEN THEM TO IMPROVE THEIR VIEWS, SUN EXPOSURE AND CROSS VENTILATION. IN ORDER TO REDUCE EARTHWORKS IN A TERRAIN WITH VARIOUS ROCKY STRATA, THE PROJECT PROPOSES A TOP BUILDING WITH A 4.20m OVERHANG THAT MINIMIZES FOUNDATIONS, AND TWO MORE BUILDINGS UNDERNEATH, WITH GROUND FLOOR PARKING AND HOUSING IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE BATERIES PARK.

THE BUILDING IS ORGANIZED IN TWO HOUSING COMPLEXES WITH DIFFERENT ACCESSES, ONE ON EACH STREET. IN THE UPPER STREET A SINGLE VOLUME WITH 17 APARTMENTS IS ORGANIZED AROUND A CENTRAL PASSAGEWAY AND STAIRCASE WITH 6 APARTMENTS PER FLOOR. IN THE LOWER STREET THE HOUSING IS ACCESSED THROUGH A VERTICAL NUCLEUS WITH VIEWS TO THE SEA LOCATED BETWEEN THE TWO VOLUMES. AT THE REAR FAÇADE A LINEAR WALKWAY BRANCHES OFF THIS NUCLEUS GIVING ACCESS TO 5 UNITS ON EACH FLOOR. THIS ARRANGEMENT GUARANTEES CROSS VENTILATION TO 22 HOUSING UNITS FROM THE GROUND TO THE FOURTH FLOOR.

THE PROJECT PROPOSES TYPOLOGIES EQUIPPED WITH TWO TYPES OF INTERMEDIATE SPACES, BOTH FOR INDIVIDUAL USE. ON THE SOUTH-EAST FAÇADES THERE ARE BIOCLIMATIC GALLERIES THAT IMPROVE HABITABILITY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY. IN THE NORTH-WEST FAÇADES THERE ARE FILTER SPACES, OPEN TO THE OUTDOORS BUT FOR PRIVATE USE. THESE IMPROVE THE MANAGEMENT OF PRIVACY BETWEEN THE COLLECTIVE WALKWAY AND THE GLAZED FAÇADE OF ACCESS TO THE DWELLING. THE RESULT IS A SINGLE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT ADAPTS TO THE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS OF AGGREGATION AND GEOMETRY WITHOUT LOSING ITS OPERATIONAL LOGIC, AN ABSTRACT SPACE OF LIVING AND DINING, RECTANGULAR AND PASSING, ALWAYS WITH CROSS VENTILATION. IT HAS ACCESS AT ONE END AND A LARGE OPENING AT THE OPPOSITE END, IN CONTACT WITH A BIOCLIMATIC GALLERY FACING THE SEA VIEWS. BESIDES THIS MULTIFUNCTIONAL CENTRAL SPACE ARE THE KITCHEN, THE BATHROOM AND THE BEDROOMS, WHICH VARY IN NUMBER AND SIZE DEPENDING ON THE DEPTH OF THE VOLUME.

THE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO BE HIGHLY ADAPTABLE TO THE CLIMATE IN ORDER TO ENSURE A NEARLY ZERO ENERGY DEMAND AND AN “A” ENERGY CERTIFICATION. TO ACHIEVE THIS, ALL THE VOLUMES OF THE BUILDING ARE CORRECTLY ORIENTED AND EQUIPPED WITH BIOCLIMATIC FAÇADES CONSISTING OF GALLERIES COMBINED WITH A THERMAL ENVELOPE OF LOW TRANSMITTANCE (U = 0.30 W/M²K). TO AVOID OVERHEATING IN THE SUMMER, THE BUILDING IS PROVIDED WITH SOLAR PROTECTION AND A GOOD VENTILATION COMBINED WITH THE INERTIA OF THE INTERIOR FLOORS TO OPTIMIZE NIGHT VENTILATION.