City: Bilbao

Bilbao-Bolueta regeneration

0

Bilbao-Bolueta regeneration

Mismatches Location Financing Functional adequacy Services Cultural suitability Diversity Climate change
Policies and regulations Local policies Land Building capacity Planning
Financing Public funding Land Based Finance
Promotion and production Public promotion Innovation Technology

Main objectives of the project

The urban regeneration initiative in Bolueta, spearheaded by VISESA and leveraging the natural landscape along the river, demonstrates a strategic approach to reclaiming degraded land for societal benefit. Through a blend of protected housing development and soil remediation, the project not only addresses housing needs but also fosters citizen engagement in decision-making, contributing to social cohesion and environmental sustainability. In fact, the social housing building is, today, the highest passivhouse in the world. Bolueta serves as a model for Bilbao's broader transformation strategy, exemplifying the city's shift from industrial decline to innovative urban development.

Date

  • 2018: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Constructor: Construcciones Sukia Eraikuntzak
  • Architect: German Velázquez
  • Promotor: VISESA

Location

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

Description

Bolueta, although well-connected to Bilbao, Spain, has long suffered from environmental degradation and neglect. The intervention in Bolueta represents a strategic urban regeneration effort aimed at reclaiming contaminated industrial land for the benefit of society. This operation combines the development of protected housing with soil remediation, presenting an opportunity to adapt existing residential and economic facilities while promoting citizen participation in decision-making.

The entity tasked with implementing and constructing the new public housing developments is VISESA, a public company under the Basque Government responsible for housing policy development. Established in 1992, VISESA has constructed 15,283 homes in the Basque Country, managing land and promoting sustainable social housing in line with Basque housing law. VISESA actively engages in urban renewal and housing rehabilitation to enhance accessibility and improve quality of life while promoting sustainable territorial development.

The solution proposes integrating Bolueta into Bilbao's urban, social, and environmental fabric, leveraging the river as a central element for natural landscape preservation and enhancement. The renovated space supports a social public housing program, with 608 out of 1100 homes designated as social public housing to address housing needs and contribute to social cohesion. The public housing project prioritizes energy efficiency, acoustic and thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and the use of natural and healthy building materials.

The primary positive impact on the community is the provision of 1100 new homes, including 608 social public housing units to address housing accessibility challenges. This development is the tallest passive house building in the world. The residential development has also created public spaces enriched with interconnected amenities, with 25,386.38m2 of pedestrian areas along the riverside promenade. The design improvements enhance accessibility, mobility, comfort, air quality, flood risk management, urban complexity, social cohesion, efficiency of urban services, green spaces, and biodiversity.

The social public housing units meet the Passive House quality standard, making them the highest certified buildings globally, recognized at the 22nd International Passive House Conference in 2018. The project's success has attracted national and international interest, with visits from delegations from countries such as India, Canada, and Colombia, as well as 800 professionals visiting nationally to learn from the Bolueta experience.

Bolueta exemplifies Bilbao's ongoing transformation. Once a city in decline in the 1980s, Bilbao's soil strategy has converted former industrial land into public space for top-tier services and social housing projects. Bilbao, rather than developing new costly developments is changing all the Nervion River bank to transform its city. With the surplus of transforming industrial land into new uses, they manage to invest in public housing or key infrastructure that the city need. This scheme has been worldwide recognized as a success.

Links

Authors:

CSCAE Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España

Opengela

0

Opengela

Mismatches Vulnerable groups
Financing Supply subsidies Demand subsidies Sustainable development financing Public-private collaboration
Ownership and tenure Protection of social housing

Main objectives of the project

Emerging from the recognition that a significant portion of the population faced barriers in accessing traditional bank loans due to insufficient income and repayment capacity, the 'MAS OPENGELA' mechanism, combining public and private funds, provides loans with a 15-year repayment period. These loans aim to assist low-income households in fully financing home renovations. Additionally, OPENGELA facilitates coordination among neighbors for refurbishment projects and fosters dialogue among building owners to facilitate successful renovations.

Date

  • 2019: En proceso

Stakeholders

  • Constructor: Basque Government
  • Promotor: Bilbao Municipal Housing
  • Constructor: Bilbao/Bilbo municipality
  • Constructor: Eibar municipality
  • Basque Energy Agency (EVE)
  • Debegesa
  • Gabineteseis
  • Zabala innovation
  • GNE Finance
  • Housing Europe

Location

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

Description

In the 60s and 70s Spain build a large amount of social housing units. However, the vast majority of them were in a regime that after decades, the old tenant become the sole owner of the housing unit. Then, social housing stock has been reduced. As a result, all over Spain, low-income communities manage low-quality and old buildings in need of refurbishment, but without having the budget to tackle the deficiencies. The OPENGELA project wants to address this.

The main point of the project are their offices, working as One-Stop-Shops. Located in the neighbourhood of the refurbishment, in those offices, a multidisciplinary team helps the owners to manage their renovation. Basically, their work consists on, first, achieving an agreement among all the owners of the building to do the refurbishment. As condominium, to make the building accessible, there is a need on an agreement among the owners which is always risky and difficult when low-income people must do a financial effort to it. Secondly, the office guide the owners on how to access subsidies and financial help. All can be asked and managed from the office, reducing the inconveniences to residents.

OPENGELA serves as a prime example of a public-private partnership, comprising various public entities including the Basque Government, Basque Energy Agency (EVE), Bilbao Municipal Housing, and Debegesa, alongside two European-level organizations (FEDARENE and Housing Europe). The private sector is represented by three specialized firms: GNE Finance for financing, Gabineteseis for communication, and Zabala for European affairs. While Bilbao Municipal Housing and Debegesa have taken the lead on projects within the current setup, private partners such as GNE Finance and Zabala contribute expertise in novel financial instruments, as well as technical, social, and legal aspects to the consortium.

OPENGELA also offers financial support through MAS OPENGELA (Social Support System Fund) – a blend of public and private funds – which offers refundable loans in 15 years to help low-income households cover the investment needed to renovate their homes. This system helps residents cover 100% of the investment. The application process is streamlined: it not linked to life insurance, there is no cancellation fee, the payment deadline is up to 15 years and the nominal interest rate is 5.95% or 6.45% depending on the energy efficiency ambition. Moreover, the age limit was extended to access those loans. Now, access to them is up to 70 years old.

OPENGELA was first established by two pilot projects, one in Otxarkoaga (Bilbao) and the other in Txonta (Eibar). In the first case, work is done on five buildings encompassing 16 house numbers with a total of 240 homes. Other courses of action will also be undertaken from there, such as the refurbishment of the old shopping centre and the launch of business initiatives in premises which are currently empty. As for the case in Txonta, the pilot Project works on a total of 221 homes in 17 house numbers. The renovation will follow current standards of energy efficiency and accessibility. Te result is clear: more than 800 people have already benefit from the project. Furthermore, the financial solution has facilitated the uptake of building renovation in vulnerable areas without compromising the debt level of neighbours. On average, applicants allocate 26.20% of their income to cover debts with banks, which allows a low margin of debt to deal with financing. OPENGELA managed to mobilise private investment of 3.2 million €. Now the methodology is implemented in other locations.

Links

Authors:

CSCAE Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España

“Apartamentos Dotacionales” in the Basque Country- The Endowment Accommodation model

0

“Apartamentos Dotacionales” in the Basque Country- The Endowment Accommodation model

Mismatches Services Diversity
Policies and regulations Local policies Land Planning
Urban Design
Promotion and production Public promotion

Main objectives of the project

The Department of Housing in the Basque Country is repurposing vacant plots designated for municipal facilities as per urban planning regulations. They are transforming these spaces into residential accommodations with leases extending up to five years. This innovative initiative aims to facilitate access to the housing market for young or socially disadvantaged individuals.

Date

  • 2006: En proceso

Stakeholders

  • Department of Housing in the Basque Country

Location

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

Description

Located at the north of Spain, the Basque Country faces a scarcity of both private and public rental accommodations, leading to a delayed residential emancipation for young individuals, often occurring after the age of 30. In response, a pioneering initiative was established in 2006 to repurpose plots designated for municipal facilities, thereby creating a novel housing solution known as the Endowment Accommodation model. These plots, initially earmarked for municipal use as amenities, compelled by urban planning regulations, have been transformed into temporary residential units. Thus, by using the limited options urban planning rules, the authorities managed to build on public land. Apart from developing services for the community, they offer a diverse typology of accommodation (usually less specious than a housing unit) that enriches the diversity of the project and densify cities.

This innovative approach has not only empowered numerous young people to achieve housing autonomy but has also addressed certain social housing emergencies. Over time, the demographic benefiting from this model has expanded beyond solely young individuals. Recent revisions to the governing by-laws now allow older individuals to access this housing temporarily. In exchange for participating in social rental programs by offering their own homes, older homeowners can access more suitable accommodations tailored to their needs—accessible, equipped, and modern. Simultaneously, other families can access larger housing units through social rental programs.

The evolution of this housing model towards publicly managed intergenerational co-housing represents a significant development, facilitating the release of other housing units for social needs. However, challenges persist, primarily concerning communication. Clear communication is essential both with municipal authorities, who may require clarification due to the unconventional use of land, and with the occupants of these accommodation units, who must understand the temporary nature of their lease, limited to a maximum of five years.

The Department of Housing has actively collaborated with municipal technicians and social services to address these challenges. Efforts have been made to streamline communication and transition tenants to more permanent housing solutions after the expiration of their leases. The model has also been a success in Barcelona and Madrid, showing it remains crucial for densely populated cities with limited available land, offering an innovative and much-needed solution to the housing crisis within the constraints of urban planning tools available to local authorities.

Links

Authors:

CSCAE Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España

Bilbao, Spain

0

Bilbao.Spain

Bilbao, Spain

Mismatches
Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

Date

  • 2005: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Luis Díaz Mauriño
  • Architect: Eduardo Belzunce
  • Architect: Francisco Burgos
  • Architect: Jose María de Lapuerta
  • Architect: Juan García Millán

Location

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

Description

The site was a former iron mine, with a topography that had slopes of up to 50 meters, surrounded by a disorganized and degraded residential outskirts to the north and by the channelled Nervión River and the Miraflores peninsula and Miribilla to the south. The frontier character of the site and its ambiguous and hybrid qualities are preserved. A comb-shaped footprint of several towers separated by lookouts works as a visual filter from the urban environment behind, generating a new façade for the city, introducing order and repetition. In addition, is planned a low-rise, introverted, residential core surrounded by a taller permeter dedicated to offices, amenities, retail areas and civic buildings.

The perimeter acts both as a connector to the neighbourhood and the old road to San Sebastian, as well as a visual and acoustic barrier. On the other hand, the existing neighbourhood, which is very dense, needed porosity, so two sun-filled squares with views were preserved with the open spaces between towers acting as urban lookouts. In the core of the cluster, the buildings rise from a carpet of green spaces that act as intermediary spaces.

Six residential buildings spill randomly throughout the hill, almost like a river, without subordinating themselves to parallel alignments, but controlled by a rational geometry. The buildings, following the idea of long-tiered-sigzag, generate a series of exterior voids that get narrower and wider, creating an intermediate scale of communal spaces.

The mixed typology of the buildings combines the volume of the single-family row housing and the functionality of a social housing building with access through corridors. Each unit is accessed from the outside, with independence, provided by its individuality, but stacked one on top of each other, using the collective logic. The longitudinal orientation of the building, approximately north-south, determines that the access corridors, where the entry halls, kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms are facing, need to look north. The south façade, facing the ideal sun conditions and views, is then dedicated to bedrooms and living rooms.
“End and top off the edge of town. It was the responsibility of the proposed architecture to order against confusion”.
“Convert the upper street to a viewer street. The buildings will mark, surprise with different views different from the other side”.
“Project houses to look to the landscape and noon, the park and the streets”.
“It is about Sewing vertically, assigning that role to the own building”.

The result all the premises of the place and the intentions on the project are five residential towers perched on a stepped base (due to the sharp slope) that absorbs all the sector garages which is accessed by a new street below; intermediate semi-public squares looking at the views across the Nervión; all the living rooms facing the midday sun.

Links

Authors: