89 Sheltered Housing Units for the elderly and community centre

By Redazione The Plan - 5 May 2010

This sheltered-housing complex is located on the northern edge of Barcelona near the city’s ring road and Tibidabo, a district of ‘stand-alone’, 1950s urban blocks subsequently connected by infrastructure built for the 1992 Olympic Games. The project by Sergi Serrat, Ginés Egea and Cristina García provides 85 dwelling units for the elderly, 4 special units with independent entrances for the handicapped, and a community centre. The fla ts are housed in two, linear, L-shaped blocks placed on the north side of the trapeze-shaped lot while the low, flat-roofed community centre occupies the rest of the area, giving the whole complex a decidedly public character. The steeply sloping terrain is accommodated by placing the parking lot under the row of sheltered housing. The housing blocks are designed to look inward onto the plot and so exploit their southern orientation for greater occupant comfort and energy efficiency. The internal distribution corridor giving access to the individual dwelling units is placed to the outside of each block. Small corridor windows have their counterpoint in large terraces on the other side of the building. Accessed from the large glazed light of each living area, the terraces lie flush with the outer building facade and are set in staggered rows. Usually 45 sq m, each dwelling unit has a ground plan allowing unencumbered flow-through from the corridor-side entrance into the living room and recessed terrace.