The project consists of two residential buildings for rental, forming a single complex in the Eixample district of Barcelona. The traditional neighbourhood plot divides the building frontage and has a considerable depth, resulting in some variability of the façades, but with a very fragmented and residual inner courtyard.
The site is L-shaped with a double façade to the street, in a unique position within the urban layout. The design takes advantage of this, connecting both fronts through the basement and creating a large communal space between the two building fronts in the inner void of the block.
The architecture of the new volumes seeks to evoke the city's memory and, to a certain extent, complete its built-up front. We took the timeless elements that make up the neighbourhood's personality as a reference: the balconies, shutters, sgraffito walls moulded by Escofet, etc., forming a binary, flat composition with hardly any abrupt shifts. The envelope is built of panels made of sandblasted concrete, presenting a geometric pattern in texture and colour. A basic repertoire of assembled components forming a continuous cladding around an inertial structure serves as a formal and constructive update of traditional construction.
The efficient use of the dwellings allows good indoor living with low conventional energy consumption. Thus, the building has been designed as a climatic system through the repertoire of techniques involved, such as, thermal inertia, moderation and orientation of the openings, modulation of solar radiation, good continuous insulation, natural ventilation and highly efficient mechanical installations.
