La Raval

La Raval is a housing cooperative under a use-rights model, initiated by the members themselves with the support of La Dinamo Fundació in the development process. The project is located on municipally owned land granted after winning a competition promoted by the Manresa City Council, becoming a pioneering initiative in the city. It promotes a new housing model based on the human group, cooperative ownership, and the non-speculative use of housing—principles that must be reflected in the architecture.

Lacol has been working with the group since 2016, co-designing the winning competition entry through a participatory process, and later developing the technical project, overseeing the construction, and assuming the role of Construction Management to ensure a more efficient, collaborative, and sustainable building process—optimizing budgets and managing delegated tasks from the developer, among other responsibilities. La Dinamo has overseen the overall project management.

The Raval plot is located in the historic city center, a context with a high number of vacant and poorly maintained dwellings. It presents an opportunity to bring life back to the city center, strengthen community ties, and contribute to urban revitalization. In order to build on the site, an Urban Improvement Plan was required, which focused on a compact massing and strong public space connections, creating a new pedestrian passage that links Hospital Square with the future L’Anònima cultural facility. The flat-rendered façade with vertical openings seeks to continue the character of the surrounding buildings.

The housing program is complemented by shared spaces located on the ground, first, and fifth floors, reinforcing the concept of a “big house.” The entire building is organized around a small central atrium—a key space for community life. From the street entrance, the patio is visible on the ground floor and rises vertically, accompanied by an open staircase and generous circulation spaces up to the roof. There, a skylight creates a winter garden with direct access to a rooftop terrace offering views of La Seu and Montserrat.

The kitchens act as transitional spaces between communal and private life. They are not located at the center of each apartment but at the heart of the building. Positioned at the entrance to each home and opening onto the central patio, they initiate a chain of spaces that organize the interior layout, maximizing diagonal views to create a sense of spaciousness despite the compact dimensions of the units.

The building faced the challenge of being constructed during a period of high construction costs, within a highly constrained economic plan. A conventional system of concrete columns and slabs was chosen, with ceramic brick infill walls for the façade. Materials are left exposed on the interior—avoiding unnecessary finishes—allowing future residents to decide how and when to personalize them. The building envelope features a continuous insulation layer made of lime mortar and sprayed cork. Despite its minimalist approach, the project does not compromise on comfort. Passive strategies take full advantage of the thermal inertia of the structure, with the atrium acting as a transitional, bioclimatic space that captures or blocks solar radiation depending on the season. The building is equipped with photovoltaic panels and an aerothermal system with radiant floor heating. It achieves an A energy rating with zero CO₂ emissions.