La Domestika

Located between “Plaça de la Farga” and “Hortet de la Farga”, La Domèstika was born from a desire to recover housing which dates back to the year 1926, with the aim of converting it into six social housing units under cooperative management through transfer-of-use, as part of a project supported by La Dinamo Fundació. Originally, these were two separate plots, with two individual properties housing two and three homes of different heights respectively, both of which are no longer compliant with building regulations. The two buildings feature joists at different heights and depths, with the same construction system featuring prefab walls and steel and hollow brick beams. Tasked with refurbishing the buildings without modifying their volume, our mission is to ensure that they function as one despite the significant initial geometric challenges.

Lacol is in charge of building design, construction management and site management. The latter team has also taken on responsibility for monitoring the construction process from the outset in conjunction with the architects and developers. From day one, the spatial, energy and construction-related features offered by the pre-existing building complex have been quantified with the technical team in order to optimise delivery costs. As a small cooperative, the developer works closely with the economic and administrative management teams involved in the construction of the building, with a monthly status briefing to provide updates on the work undertaken.

The project is focused on a nucleus of central stairways connecting the existing joists of the two buildings that are more than 1.2 metres apart in height, as a means of minimising demolition. Situated in the centre of the building and backed by courtyards on either side, this nucleus is a vertical space reminiscent in its size of other residential buildings in the area, which allows for the introduction of bioclimatic initiatives to reduce consumption and increase comfort via a glass roof covering.

The resulting residential units range in size from 49 to 67 square metres, with one or two bedrooms respectively, in addition to almost 500 square metres of communal terraces and courtyards. The result is a compact development composed of just six homes, where community life provides the focal point for a diverse range of spaces reminiscent of a large house, with a spacious kitchen-dining area and multipurpose hall on the ground floor, an inner courtyard and an accessible roof terrace where a wide range of daily tasks and leisure activities coexist.

A priori, the orientation of the plot and its surroundings offer less-than-optimal conditions in terms of energy: significant obstruction on the south face blocks winter sunlight which could be useful for heating. This notwithstanding, it offers solid protection from the sun in summer. The aim of the project herein is to avoid heat loss and maximise thermal inertia. Anticipating future scenarios of long summers and extreme conditions, the atrium is envisaged as an overarching dissipator and stimulant for the ventilation of the entire building. In winter, with limited hours for heat capture, the glass roof covering the atrium is shaped to play a key role in converting passageways into semi-outdoor spaces where residents can go about their daily lives while the heating requirements of the closed indoor spaces are reduced.