Llargavista observatory

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Llargavista observatory

Policies and regulations Governance Data and monitoring Evaluation and impact
Promotion and production Self-management Self-promotion Cooperatives Progressive housing Management and maintenance
Ownership and tenure Rental and temporary tenure Protection of social housing

Main objectives of the project

The Llargavista observatory consists of a website and an interactive map showing all registered cooperative housing initiatives in Catalonia (Spain), providing detailed information on each project obtained through questionnaires and interviews. Its objective is to disseminate the model and its evolution to all citizens in an accessible and understandable way.

Date

  • 2020: Implementation

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: Sostre Cívic
  • Coòpolis
  • Xarxa d'Economia Solidària
  • iLabSo
  • Risell

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

"Llargavista" means "long-term" in Catalan. This name is not accidental. The observatory seeks to map all cooperative housing in Catalonia, a nation within Spain, with the goal to make it a long-term solution for the housing crisis. Catalonia (and specifically Barcelona, its capital) has been a pioneer in a specific type of cooperative housing with “the right to use”. That is to say, the administration cedes the land in surface right to a cooperative, which constructs the building. After the period agreed with the cooperative, the building becomes public property. Thus, the cooperative never owns the land, but it does own the building for a certain agreed period of time. During that time, the people living in the housing must meet the requirements for access to public social housing and, in exchange for an entrance fee, be cooperative members. If they wish to leave the housing, they leave their share of the cooperative to whoever enters. The observatory monitors these initiatives.

This is an initiative promoted by Sostre Cívic, with the collaboration of Risell and iLabSo and the participation of the housing sector of the Xarxa d'Economia Solidària (XES) and the Cercle de transició ecosocial de Coòpolis. It is supported and financed by the General Directorate of Social Economy of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Barcelona City Council. With the creation of this initiative, the aim is to observe the state and evolution of cooperative housing in cession of use throughout the country. At the same time, this tool is built with a long-term vision, to consolidate and grow cooperative housing as a transformative and non-speculative model of housing access and tenure.

The main objective is to carry out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the cooperative housing sector in transfer of use, both of information related to the people and cohabitation units that participate, as well as the characteristics of the building or the project, and other elements of interest related to the project, such as economic and financial information or its social impact. This information, systematized and sustained over time, can be of interest to the cooperative housing sector, the academic world, public administrations and the media, among other agents. In addition, it aims to show the information in an accessible and understandable way in order to disseminate the model, the projects and their evolution to all citizens with a clearly informative function.

The main product of the observatory is a website and an interactive map that it incorporates, which shows all the registered cooperative housing initiatives in cession of use, with information on each project. The data is obtained through questionnaires answered by groups and projects throughout the country and through interviews with groups and various agents.

La Casa dels mestres, Barcelona

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La Casa dels mestres, Barcelona

Mismatches Location Vacant housing
Promotion and production Public-private partnerships Self-management Self-promotion Self-construction Cooperatives Transformation and adaptation
Ownership and tenure Shared ownership Rental and temporary tenure

Main objectives of the project

Barcelona faces a challenging housing situation marked by high demand and limited affordable options, prompting innovative solutions to address the crisis. Amidst this backdrop, the city has witnessed a powerful cooperative movement dedicated to providing sustainable and inclusive housing alternatives. This movement emphasizes community participation, sustainability, and affordability, embodying a grassroots response to the housing shortage and inspiring projects like the rehabilitation of Les Cases dels Mestres in La Floresta, which transforms disused buildings into cooperative social housing while fostering community cohesion and environmental responsibility.

Date

  • 2015: En proceso

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Som Hàbitat
  • Architect: Zaga arquitectura

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

In Barcelona, adjacent to La Floresta School and bordering the wooded mass of Parc de Collserola, stands a building originally constructed to house the school's teachers. This place, known locally as Les Cases dels Mestres, was built in 1969 as part of a typical low-cost housing development. The buildings, characterized by their simplicity and unpretentious design, featured traditional language, short structural bays, and cost-effective construction methods. Over time, the houses fell into disuse, though they remained a significant part of the community's memory. Recently, a neighborhood movement succeeded in rehabilitating the structure for use as cooperative social housing.

The process begins with the occupation of the houses in 2014 and, after a long negotiation with the authorities, in 2015 the construction of the building is allowed. The temporary cession of use of the site for the cooperative is used. After the time indicated in the agreement, housing and land will pass into municipal hands as social housing.

The refurbishment project aims to adapt the building for cooperative social housing while preserving its original identity and ensuring flexibility in the configuration of the units. The proposal includes adding two new bays on each long façade, complementing the original structure. These additions address shortcomings in accessibility, room size, flexibility of use, and energy efficiency of the roof and façades. The first new wing, on the east façade, features walkways and stairs that adapt to the steep terrain, guiding users to each house's door. This façade incorporates layers that reveal the building's history and add new dimensions, while the access walkways serve as terraces for communal living, offering views of the natural surroundings.

The western bay, more private, increases the size and height of the dwellings, creating 11 units plus a communal space. This façade interacts uniquely with the landscape, allowing windows to cascade downhill and enhancing the relationship between residents and the environment. The refurbished dwellings maintain the spirit of the original structure, improve habitability and versatility, and foster a closer connection between residents and the surrounding nature.

From its inception, this project has emphasized essential values such as:

Participation and inclusion. The project's usual work process was significantly altered, placing the user in a central role during conception and construction. Residents actively participated in decision-making, and workshops during the design phase allowed them to choose from various distribution options, ensuring homes suited to different family units with adequate flexibility.

Self-build. During construction, users contributed labor through training workshops, handling interior refurbishment tasks. This approach reduced construction costs and increased residents' identification with their new homes.

Sustainability. A key principle was creating a sustainable building with a low carbon footprint. This involved using local, non-polluting materials, a prefabricated timber-framed structure, high insulation, and efficient collective installations such as a central pellet boiler and a grey and rainwater recovery system.

Refurbishment and collective memory. The project revitalized a disused and abandoned building, reinforcing collective memory and community cohesion by demonstrating its viability.

Well-being and contact with nature. Leveraging the building’s exceptional location, the project created private and collective spaces that balance community activities with personal relaxation, all in direct contact with the surrounding natural environment.

47 social housing units in Torre Baró, Barcelona

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47 social housing units in Torre Baró, Barcelona

Mismatches Vulnerable groups
Urban Design Quality Liveability Inclusion Equity
Promotion and production Public promotion

Main objectives of the project

This social housing building is designed around a central atrium that enhances the energy efficiency of the complex. Along with the spacious staircase landings, the atrium also serves as a communal meeting space for residents. Commissioned by the Institut Municipal de l'Habitatge i Rehabilitació de Barcelona (IMHAB), the public housing authority in the city, this project features a distinctive high-rise layout with walk-through courtyard flats. Each unit is positioned along the façade, ensuring natural lighting and scenic views. The building's sustainability is further enhanced by rooftop photovoltaic panels and intermediate terrace-gallery spaces that allow for cross ventilation. When closed, these spaces create a greenhouse effect, providing thermal gains and reducing the need for heating. As a result, this high-quality, sustainable building is made available to vulnerable populations.

Date

  • 2017: Ganador
  • 2022: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: IMHAB
  • Architect: dataAE

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

Torre Baró, one of Barcelona's most vulnerable neighborhoods, has one of the highest deprivation indexes in the country. Despite this, it is experiencing skyrocketing housing prices typical of a global city like Barcelona. Consequently, the Institut Municipal de l'Habitatge i Rehabilitació de Barcelona (IMHAB), the city's public social housing promoter, emphasized the need to invest in this neighborhood to ensure dignified housing for its residents.

The project consists of a building with 47 social housing units, including a basement, ground floor, and five upper floors. This building is designed as a shallow, continuous perimeter of courtyard flats that create a central space in the form of a collective and bioclimatic atrium. This atrium serves as a reception area, a social space for residents, and a mechanism for enhancing the complex's energy efficiency.

Situated adjacent to the Parc de Collserola mountain, Torre Baró originally required terraced constructions with numerous outdoor spaces connected to nature and the landscape due to its steep terrain. The new building will become the permanent home for some families who have moved out of the neighborhood and currently live in precarious housing conditions but maintain a strong connection to the mountain. These natural spaces are strategically incorporated, adapting them to the high-rise courtyard house typology.

The building emphasizes the relationship between the dwelling, the immediate public space, and the city, using intermediate spaces to transition from the street to the house through a large bioclimatic atrium. This welcoming ground-floor space is a mandatory passage for users to access different stairwells. It serves as an energy-efficient intermediate space, fostering a new area for social interaction among residents and future generations year-round. Additionally, it addresses energy poverty by designing homes with nearly zero energy consumption (NZEB) and high rooftop photovoltaic electricity production.

The central space, featuring a bioclimatic roof that can be opened and closed and protected from the sun, functions as a greenhouse in winter and a hyper-ventilated umbraculum in summer. This creates a thermally favorable space that adapts the building's form to environmental needs, improves the interior façade's transmittance, and facilitates energy exchange with the dwellings, reducing ventilation-related losses. These favorable conditions allow both the large central space and the generous staircase landings to serve as living, play, or meeting spaces for neighbors.

Each dwelling includes a 13m² terrace-gallery type intermediate space that functions as a passive-use area. In summer, this open, exterior, and ventilated space aids in cooling the dwellings through cross ventilation. In winter, it becomes a closed space that collects thermal gains from the greenhouse effect, directly benefiting the living room and reducing the need for heating. Each terrace acts as a private filter space between indoors and outdoors, an intermediate area between the individual and the collective.

A single typology is proposed for the apartments, where all units are located on the façade, ensuring natural lighting and landscape views. The gallery's position alternates: in some flats, it is the access space, while in others, it is at the end of the dwelling. The interior configuration of the dwellings features versatile 10m² rooms, all designed to favor multi-functionality. The layout is inclusive, with an open kitchen connected to the living room and access to the laundry room and bathrooms from the common space of the flats.

Pla de Barris, Barcelona

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Pla de Barris, Barcelona

Mismatches Functional adequacy Services Cultural suitability Vulnerable groups Climate change
Policies and regulations Local policies Building capacity Global frameworks Governance Public-private initiatives

Main objectives of the project

The Pla de Barris in Barcelona adopts a holistic approach to affordable housing, emphasizing not only the refurbishment of housing and public spaces but also addressing economic and social justice issues within neighborhoods. Originating in the early 2000s and reimplemented in 2015 with a community-driven focus, the plan supports local initiatives with institutional help, fostering collective action. It integrates housing actions with economic development, educational opportunities, and social services to enable residents to afford their living costs. Currently, the AMB is preparing to expand this initiative to a metropolitan level, ensuring broader impact across the entire city.

Date

  • 2015: Implementation

Stakeholders

  • Foment de Ciutat
  • Ajuntament de Barcelona

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

When we speak about affordable housing, we often focus solely on the buildings. This brick-and-mortar perspective, while necessary, is only a small part of the whole issue. Dwelling is not just about having access to a housing unit with an affordable cost; it also involves having the opportunity to progress professionally and personally within the neighborhood, thereby being able to manage the cost of living. This is the logic behind "el Pla de Barris" (neighborhood plan) in Barcelona.

The Pla de Barris takes a holistic approach to addressing the needs of the most deprived areas in the city. While emphasizing the necessity of housing refurbishment and enhancement of public spaces, it also addresses the economic and social justice issues within neighborhoods. Thus, the plan combines housing initiatives with social policies.

The origin of the Pla de Barris dates back to the early 2000s, focusing on the need to foster investments in public spaces where vulnerable populations lived. However, after the 2008 crisis, the Pla de Barris was cut off due to budgetary reasons. In 2015, it was reimplemented with a different perspective. Now, the Pla de Barris is community-driven, centering on actions that the community can implement themselves with institutional support. Hence, it has transformed into a collective action policy. For example, despite its investment in housing refurbishment, it does so with a holistic approach. While the public administration typically just offers a grant, the Pla de Barris also provides the tools for the community to manage the grant and implement the project (see “Finques d’Alta Complexitat” on this same website).

Additionally, living in a neighborhood means having the earnings to pay for your house and expenses. For this reason, the latest Pla de Barris emphasizes the need to foster economic development projects, educational opportunities, and social services. In addition, it puts the climate resilience of housing and neighbourhoods as a central objective, adapting the most vulnerable to the climate challenge in their homes and environments.

The Pla de Barris operates within the municipality of Barcelona. However, the AMB, the metropolitan government, is now preparing the metropolitan Pla de Barris, so that investments can be scaled to the required dimension, impacting the entire city.

La Mina Neighbourhood Transformation Plan, Barcelona

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La Mina Neighbourhood Transformation Plan, Barcelona

Mismatches Vulnerable groups
Policies and regulations Local policies Planning Governance Participatory processes
Urban Design Modelos De Ciudad Environments Quality Liveability Participatory processes
Promotion and production Public promotion

Main objectives of the project

La Mina, a neighbourhood in Sant Adrià del Besòs, faced high vulnerability due to its original design and socio-demographic characteristics. To reverse this, the La Mina Neighbourhood Transformation Plan ("Plan de Transformación del barrio de La Mina", in Spanish), managed by the Consorcio del Barrio de La Mina, combined management and funding models to carry out physical and socio-economic interventions. The rehabilitation of buildings to improve energy efficiency and accessibility, and the improvement of open spaces to ensure universal accessibility stand out. Institutional collaboration and citizen participation have been key to achieving coherent and effective interventions in the neighbourhood.

Date

  • 2002: En proceso

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: Consorci de la Mina
  • Promotor: INCASOL
  • Sant Adrià del Besós

Location

City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

La Mina is a neighbourhood located in the municipality of Sant Adrià del Besòs, characterised as a housing estate. Born in the mid-20th century, it was created to relocate the majority of the population that lived in the shantytowns of Somorrostro beach and other areas of the city of Barcelona. The original design of the area, together with certain socio-demographic characteristics and its location almost at the end of the Besòs river, led to a situation of high vulnerability that still persists. To reverse this situation, the "La Mina Neighbourhood Transformation Plan" was implemented, managed by the La Mina Neighbourhood Consortium. This plan has combined different management and funding models over time, focusing on two lines of action: a series of physical interventions that support socio-economic ones.

Within the interventions in the built environment, the opening of axes to improve the road network, the increase of accessibility and the provision of new facilities stand out. Particularly noteworthy are the rehabilitation of residential buildings constructed with prefabricated processes, which needed improvements in energy efficiency and accessibility, such as those located in the neighbourhood of La Mina Vieja. Improving the accessibility of buildings is synergistically related to improvements in open spaces, generating new areas that guarantee universal accessibility at the urban level. In addition, institutional collaboration and citizen participation, together with the comprehensive management of the process by the Consorcio del Barrio de La Mina, have made it possible to establish interventions that present a coherent image in the different areas intervened.

Thus, a large Rambla has been opened in the centre of the neighbourhood, new community facilities and spaces have been opened... In addition, progress has been made with INCASOL, the Catalan public housing developer, in the construction of social housing, where families from the so-called Venus Block, one of the blocks of flats pending demolition, will be rehoused in the future.

Integral Plan for the Serra d'en Mena, Barcelona

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Integral Plan for the Serra d'en Mena, Barcelona

Mismatches Cultural suitability Vulnerable groups
Policies and regulations Local policies Planning Governance Participatory processes
Urban Design Modelos De Ciudad Urban fabrics Services and infrastructure Environments Quality Liveability Inclusion Equity

Main objectives of the project

In Santa Coloma de Gramenet (Barcelona), near the Besós river, an ambitious rehabilitation project is being carried out in the Serra d'en Mena area. This plan seeks to improve the quality of life of the residents, many of whom are elderly and have limited resources, facing problems of energy poverty and structural deficiencies in their homes. The intervention includes improvements in the energy efficiency of the buildings, complex negotiations between the local administration and the communities of owners, and social projects such as the time bank to strengthen community cohesion.

Date

  • 2007: En proceso

Stakeholders

  • Santa Coloma de Gramanet City Council

Location

City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

The area of action is located in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a municipality in the province of Barcelona close to the Besós river park. The Besós axis is known to be one of the most vulnerable areas in Spain and with the highest concentration of challenges in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. For years, efforts have been intensified in comprehensive neighbourhood rehabilitations in this area, which spans five municipalities and faces various social, natural and urban barriers.

The Serra d'en Mena plan focuses on the rehabilitation of an area that includes 360 dwellings and 26 premises, mostly built between 1968 and 1974 during a period of disorganised urban growth that caused multiple problems. One of the main objectives is to improve the quality of life and health of the residents, many of whom are elderly people with low pensions and suffer from fuel poverty due to inefficient housing.

These neighbourhoods, located on the municipal border with Badalona, have a vulnerable and ageing population, as well as significant structural deficits such as the lack of lifts and accessibility for people with reduced mobility. The location on a mountain aggravates the problems of accessibility on foot and by public transport, in addition to the deficiencies in terms of the healthiness of the dwellings. The plan aims to reverse all of this by improving the urban space, making it accessible, and acting on the housing in the neighbourhoods (some of which are in a critical situation of substandard housing and unhealthy conditions).

To address these challenges, a public intervention has been implemented in several phases, focusing on improving the interior comfort of the buildings and revitalising the identity and urban landscape. This process has required complex management and negotiations with the owners' communities to reach agreements on funding and intervention. In addition, social projects such as the time bank have been launched to involve citizens.

It is remarkable how improvements in the energy efficiency of residential structures not only improve the comfort of residents, but also have a positive impact on the perception of the urban landscape and the quality of life in the urban environment.

Viviendas sociales 1737 (Gavà, Barcelona)

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Viviendas sociales 1737 (Gavà, Barcelona)

Mismatches Diversity Vulnerable groups
Urban Design Quality Liveability Inclusion Regulación Técnica Procesos Administrativos
Promotion and production Public promotion Materials Technology

Main objectives of the project

The innovative social housing project by H Arquitectes in Gavá, near Barcelona, demonstrates Catalonia's commitment to low-cost, high-quality housing. Adapted to a triangular plot, the building avoids dead-end corners and offers panoramic views. Apartments feature four adaptable modules and a hybrid structural system for efficiency. Exterior transitions include balconies and glazed galleries, leading to a central atrium that provides natural light and ventilation. With 136 units, the project, backed by IMPSOL, aligns with regional efforts to address housing shortages.

Date

  • 2022: Construction
  • 2017: Ganador

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: IMPSOL
  • Architect: H Arquitectes

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

In recent years, Catalonia has been increasing its public social housing stock with extraordinary low-cost projects. A good example of this architectural excellence is the project by H Arquitectes in Gavá, a small coastal town a few kilometres from Barcelona, between the Garraf massif and the Llobregat delta. The building adapts to the perimeter of a complicated, triangular-shaped plot, breaking the continuity at the corners to avoid dead-end corners that could generate situations of insecurity. In this way, a plot with excellent views and pleasant surroundings is achieved. The building is developed through a system of aggregation that maximises the relationship between the living spaces and the surroundings. All the rooms are exterior and have views of the Ferreres mountain range and the Llobregat Agricultural Park, an area of great environmental interest.

Each dwelling consists of four equal modules of 10.6 square metres, which can be used as living room, kitchen or bedroom. A hybrid structure of screens and concrete slabs separating the dwellings, combined with slender pillars that allow very short and efficient spans, while characterising the space of each room. On both sides of these modules, there are two bands of transition to the exterior: a balcony facing the street and a glazed gallery - where the bathrooms and storage space are located, which can also be attached to the living rooms - towards an atrium where the circulations and vertical communication cores of the whole complex are resolved. Thus, all the spaces have plenty of natural light and cross ventilation.

As explained above, three continuous rings are configured: terrace, programme and circulation, leaving the vertical communication cores inside the atrium. In this way, there are no corridors. The central atrium is a protected and slightly tempered space that ventilates the stairs and makes the dwellings more comfortable. The staircases are very compact and serve four dwellings per landing, giving a total of 136 dwellings.

As for the governance of the project, it is promoted by IMPSOL, Barcelona's public metropolitan developer. Thus, the project is part of a strategy of the city as a whole, together with its adjacent municipalities, to address the growing housing crisis that is being experienced.

The building has been largely awarded: Matilde Baffa Ugo Rivolta 2023 European Award, Shortlisted ‘EU Mies Van der Rohe Award 2024’, ‘III Premis Temps de les Arts’ 2023, Premio ex aequo ‘Premio ENOR 2023’, Premio FAD de la opinión 2023, Finalist "Premios FAD 2023", "Premio en la Bienal Española de Arquitectura y Urbanismo ‘BEAU XVI’ 2023"

Marina del Prat Vermell, Barcelona

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Marina del Prat Vermell, Barcelona

Mismatches Location Diversity
Urban Design Quality Liveability Inclusion
Promotion and production Public promotion

Main objectives of the project

In the Marina del Prat Vermell (Barcelona), a project stands as a model for future social housing developments, addressing both the immediate housing shortage and long-term sustainability goals. By providing high-quality, affordable housing, it plays a key role in alleviating the housing crisis in Barcelona and sets a benchmark for similar projects worldwide.

Date

  • 2023: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Coll-Leclerc Arquitectos
  • Architect: MIAS

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

La Marina del Prat Vermell, an old textile colony area established in Barcelona in the mid-nineteenth century, lies south of Montjuic mountain, near the sea. The neighborhood's name, "Marina del Prat Vermell," or the Red Meadow Marina, originates from the practice of dyeing and drying fabrics on the meadows. Now, this neighborhood represents the last public land development opportunities in the densely built city of Barcelona. Consequently, La Marina has become a strategic location for the city’s government to construct social housing units, such as the 72 units designed by MIAS Architects and Coll-Leclerc Arquitectos.

The plot, shaped like a triangle formed by the streets Ulldecona, Cal Cisó, and Pontils, influenced the architectural response. The design maintains the integrity of the triangular shape in its overall organization, without compromising the clarity and rationality of the orthogonal interior distribution of the dwellings. The three vertices of the plot are preserved as three closed corners, avoiding chamfers or simplifications.

To accommodate numerous social housing units, each with two rooms and optimal ventilation, solar exposure, typology, and views, the triangle is divided with two patios and two passages oriented from north to south, creating five volumes. The eastern and western corners house unique dwellings. Instead of using a layout with an interior triangular block courtyard, which would be too small and lead to an excess of north-facing dwellings, the proposal includes blocks of four corner dwellings, ensuring the two hours of solar exposure required by regulations between 10 am and 2 pm.

The perception of the complex varies depending on the viewpoint: from the eastern and western corners, it appears as a single unit block with gaps, while from the southern façade, five volumes are visible, allowing sunlight to penetrate through the passages at midday. This design avoids a continuous 92-meter façade and provides a smooth but intricate volume. The block's materialization or dematerialization changes based on the observer's position.

In summary, the building achieves a balance between being compact and porous. It is compact due to the triangle's geometry influencing its volumetrics, and porous due to the rationalized division into equivalent blocks. Each floor accommodates twelve residences, all featuring a corner layout, granting every unit dual orientation, ventilation, and complete solar exposure.

The material selection aims to minimize the building's carbon footprint by using lighter components and avoiding excavation in contaminated industrial soils. The facades feature alternating vertical strips of glass and ribbed GRC (fiber-reinforced concrete), red-colored and 17 mm thick, evoking the folds of fabrics drying on the meadow. Transported and positioned with their 120 mm metal frames, they are insulated on the inner face to ensure low thermal transmittance of 0.24 W/m2 K. The open corners have wide terraces that follow the envelope's geometry, protected by Gradhermetic louvers. The reinforced concrete structure uses a Bubble-Deck system, reducing the weight of the floor slabs by 35% and allowing the creation of cantilevers to adapt to the unique site geometry. The Bubble-Deck, composed of cylindrical bodies of recycled PVC, reduces weight and carbon footprint.

The project's shape factor, with openings designed to maximize solar gain in winter and provide shading and cross ventilation in summer on all floors, results in low total energy consumption of 8.76 kWh/m2 per year, achieving an A Rating and meeting Passivhaus standards with very low heating and cooling demands.

Ecoenergies' subway biomass network frees up the roof for the installation of a shared solar photovoltaic plant, consisting of 89 modules producing 37.8kWp, covering 51% of consumption. Vegetation is incorporated on the remaining roofs, and flowerbeds with red flowering species are planted along the access passages to promote biodiversity and mitigate the heat island effect. Additionally, bike racks are installed in these passages to encourage alternative mobility.

The importance of social housing in Barcelona cannot be overstated, especially in a city facing a deep housing crisis. With skyrocketing rents and limited space for new developments, many residents struggle to find affordable and adequate living conditions. In this context, the La Marina del Prat Vermell project emerges as a crucial intervention.

This project not only addresses the urgent need for affordable housing but does so with a forward-thinking design that enhances the quality of life for its residents. By integrating optimal conditions for ventilation, solar exposure, and dual orientation, the development ensures that each unit benefits from natural light and airflow, which are essential for healthy living environments. The use of sustainable materials and energy-efficient systems further underscores the project's commitment to environmental responsibility, reducing its carbon footprint and operational energy consumption.

22@ Social Housing, Barcelona

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22@ Social Housing, Barcelona

Mismatches Services Vulnerable groups
Urban Design Quality Liveability
Promotion and production Public-private partnerships

Main objectives of the project

The NOU LLOC Foundation's project in Barcelona's Ensanche, located in the 22@ district, faces the challenge of providing social housing in an area marked by gentrification and rising property prices. This building of 53 small social housing units (55 m² on average) is located on a chamfered plot and stands out for its innovative design that maximises space by eliminating corridors and creating a large communal courtyard. The 22@ district, known for its transformation from a former industrial zone to a modern technological hub, has made access to housing difficult due to growing demand and high costs. This social housing project not only addresses the urgent need for affordable housing in Barcelona, but also seeks to integrate the community into a dynamic and constantly evolving urban environment, thus addressing the challenges of gentrification and social exclusion.

Date

  • 2015: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Serra-Vives-Cartagena

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

In Barcelona, at the beginning of the 20th century, the 22@ district was born. 22@ is an ambitious urban planning project in Barcelona that seeks to transform a former industrial area into a modern district of new technologies and knowledge. This renewal plan has boosted the creation of innovative and sustainable spaces, attracting technology companies, start-ups and research centres. However, this transformation has also generated a gentrification effect, driving up housing prices and displacing original residents. Access to housing in 22@ and Barcelona in general has become increasingly difficult, exacerbating the city's housing crisis and posing significant challenges for those seeking to reside in this booming area.

It is to address these challenges that the Serra-Vives-Cartagena building was born. The project, promoted by the social housing-oriented NOU LLOC Foundation, faces an atypical programme for a chamfered plot in the Eixample district of Barcelona: 53 small dwellings (55 m² on average) and the relevant commercial premises on the ground floor.

The plot has the particularity of having a party wall open to a newly created public space. This results in a pentagon with four open facades and a party wall. The chamfer faces north and the new façade opens to the south-east. The adjacent building forms part of a consolidated complex 28 metres deep with a façade of remarkable values.

The distribution scheme that resolves the bulk of the residential programme is summarised in two bands of different depths and opposite orientations, separated by a central courtyard and articulated by the block of vertical accesses located in the pre-existing party wall.

The greatest complexity of the project arises from the strip facing the Tánger-Ávila streets, which must respect the alignment of the chamfer, so characteristic of Barcelona's Ensanche, and maintain the precise urban continuity of 19th-century Barcelona.

Both strips are aligned with the façade and the pre-existing backdrop. Access to the different dwellings is via interior walkways that converge in the only vertical access block that benefits from the courtyards of the neighbouring building. This composition creates a large courtyard on the ground floor that opens onto calle Ávila, with the vocation of an interior communal square. The most characteristic element of the building's image is to be found in the vertical cut of the chamfer, which reflects the dialogue between the two bands and opens up the inner courtyard to the light from the north.

54 Social Housing units in Bon Pastor, Barcelona

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54 Social Housing units in Bon Pastor, Barcelona

Mismatches Location Diversity
Urban Design Modelos De Ciudad Environments Quality Liveability
Promotion and production Public promotion
Ownership and tenure Protection of social housing

Main objectives of the project

The Bon Pastor social housing project seeks to rehouse the former inhabitants of the ‘cheap houses’, the 1929 development of public housing. The project stands out for its careful integration with the existing urban fabric and its connection with the community. By preserving key elements of community life, such as shared courtyards and terraces facing the Besòs River, the design seeks to preserve the atmosphere of a village within the city. In addition, by incorporating intermediate spaces between public and private, social interaction is encouraged and the residents' sense of belonging to the neighbourhood is strengthened. This strategy not only modernises the infrastructure, but also revitalises Bon Pastor's identity as a place where the community thrives and is enriched.

Date

  • 2022: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Peris + Toral

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

The Bon Pastor neighbourhood, one of the first social housing areas in Barcelona in the 20th century, was built next to the river Besós in the eastern part of the city. Initially made up of what were known as ‘cheap houses’, small, low-rise single-family buildings, it lacked facilities and public transport. However, the insistence of the residents was fundamental in transforming it into a connected and dignified neighbourhood. The Bon Pastor Remodelling Plan envisages the demolition of the 784 Casas Baratas built in 1929, to be replaced by isolated blocks for the re-housing of the inhabitants. Despite this, the aim was to preserve the community life that characterised the neighbourhood, and this is where Peris Torral's project came into play.

The new building design, agreed with the residents, has advantages in terms of high-rise housing, offering panoramic views of the Besòs river, although sacrificing part of the community life at street level. To preserve this aspect, intermediate spaces are incorporated between the public space and the dwellings. For example, communal courtyards are introduced on the ground floor, before the entrance halls, in order to maintain the community spirit. In addition, generous terraces are included on the upper floors, facing the new riverside park. The single-storey car park was designed with natural ventilation and lighting, and is adaptable over time for other uses.

The block is composed of five aggregation units, four of which house two dwellings per landing, while the fifth unit, at the front, consists of three dwellings per floor in order to orientate the rooms towards the south and create a façade instead of a simple front wall. The arrangement of the bathroom core in the centre of the floor plan allows for articulated circulations around it, providing alternative paths and a sense of spaciousness. The use of exposed brickwork as a materiality determined by the planning is used to introduce lattices that texturise the plinth of the building and provide natural ventilation to the car park and stairwells. The metal balconies incorporate a structure that allows vegetation to grow, acting as a solar filter and supporting elements such as clotheslines and textiles.

The Bon Pastor remodelling project not only seeks to modernise its infrastructure, but also to preserve its essence and connection with its surroundings. By merging the typology of high-rise housing with communal spaces on the ground floor and terraces facing the Besòs River, a harmonious integration with the surrounding urban and natural landscape is achieved. This approach gives the neighbourhood a new category, transforming it into a contemporary urban enclave that preserves its character as a village within the city. By rescuing community life and promoting social interaction through its median spaces and public areas, the project embodies the spirit of Bon Pastor as a place where community flourishes and local identity is strengthened. Ultimately, this initiative not only modernises the neighbourhood's infrastructure, but also revitalises its soul, creating a space that celebrates its heritage while looking to the future.