La Bertrana

A cooperative transfer-of-use housing development, headed by Sostre Civic, with the additional challenge of constructing a building over a short time period. Given the above, and in the interests of streamlining processes, a prefabricated concrete structure was chosen from the outset. The building features a total of 60 housing units, parking, a municipal services premises and community spaces, all designed to encourage community living and a bond with the surrounding area.

In volumetric terms, the building is composed of a ground floor that houses a 500 m² municipal premises, as well as entrances and a multi-use hall. The following floors feature homes and community spaces, distributed across 3, 7 and 3 floors respectively. The housing units are structured around vertical intermediate spaces emerging from the ground floor, and are distributed along external south-facing passageways. The parking area features 50% of the spaces required by statutory regulations (known as POUM in Catalan), with additional spaces for bicycles as a means of encouraging more sustainable mobility.

The project places special emphasis on its integration within the urban environment and its relationship with its immediate surroundings. Its compact volume has been chosen in order to fit with the orientation of the rest of the street, ensuring distance from the nearby school as a means of reducing any possible conflicts of use. The building features public space by means of an archway that connects the neighbouring park with the back courtyard in a natural extension of community space. Outward-facing thoroughfares are prioritised via open walkways as a means of encouraging contact with the outside world and reducing energy consumption. The outdoor spaces on the ground, first and fourth floors are also connected, further encouraging community life.

A large ground floor combined with smaller spaces distributed throughout the building offers opportunities for a range of social interactions between residents and non-residents alike. The visual and physical passageways connect elements such as the street, parking spaces, courtyard, terraces and the entrance, underscoring the continuity of these spaces. The project also guarantees universal accessibility, taking into account children, the elderly and those with diverse mobility needs. A prefabricated concrete structure featuring honeycomb panels and facade closures formed by a lightweight wooden framework, which includes prefabricated insulation, has been designed. This helps to reduce the environmental impact and speed up the construction process.