restoration by HARQUITECTES expresses heritage building's structural memory

HARQUITECTES renovates the lleialtat santsenca civic center, a heritage building in the working class neighborhood of barri de sants, barcelona. the design process was driven by three factors — an understanding of the historic value of the site, preservation of the structural brickwork and cosmetic detailing of the original building, and a sensitivity to the collaborative process initiated by neighborhood organizations to recover the building. the resulting project comprises three structural bodies. two primary volumes open to the street on either side, linked by an inward-looking L-shaped body.

images by adrià goula

the derelict nature of the original construction, encouraged HARQUITECTES to introduce a large longitudinal void, joining the three volumes. each space — new and old — is linked through a gradual progression, from the more public to the more private spaces. meanwhile an interior triple height void configures an atrium characterized by ‘new’ facades created from the preexisting party walls, which exhibit the memory of the building’s history. this atrium brings light and natural ventilation to each space, serving as the axis of the horizontal and vertical circulations, and offering new potential for unforeseen programs. inspired in lina bo bardi’s teatro oficina, the atrium is an intermediate zone that organizes the circulation through a series of catwalks and stairs that evoke the image of construction site scaffolding.

as the existing roofs were beyond repair, only the trusses in the main hall were preserved. a new roof encloses the entire building, volumetrically expressing the three structural bodies. three gable roofs, with cellular polycarbonate to the south and insulated metal sheet to the north, above a metal structure, illuminate and ventilate the atrium, with windows in the highest corners to encourage passive heating through solar gain. during the summer, hot air is released through the roof ridge windows, opened by automatic sensors.

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project info:

architecture firm: HARQUITECTES (david lorente, josep ricart, xavier ros, roger tudó)

location: barri de sants, barcelona

project team: societat orgànica (consultoria medioambiental), DSM arquitectes (estructura), VIDAL enginyeria i consultoria (instal·lacions), i2A (acústica), aumedes DAP (amidaments), chroma rehabilitacions integrals (restauració façana), ESITEC enginyeria (inst. audiovisual)

collaborators: montse fornés, berta romeo, jordi mitjans, carla piñol, blai cabrero bosch, toni jiménez, jorge suárez kilzi

completion: 2017

photography: adrià goula