with mass timber, haz arquitectura aims for a carbon-free architecture in barcelona

community focused and near carbon-free

Catalan practice Haz Arquitectura completes its timber-built Center for Community Life as an exploration of architecture which minimizes its carbon emissions. Warm and welcoming, the project is sited in the Trinitat Vella district of Barcelona, and houses various social programs organized by the local community. Driven by this focus on community, the overall project was designed with a ‘collaborative spirit to allow local people and social agents in the neighborhood to express themselves.’

The center stands as the first stage of a larger hub which will ultimately include community housing and homes for young people and the elderly.

image © José Hevia

the importance of timber

Haz Arquitectura (see more here) designs its Trinitat Vella community center with a simple timber expression which will easily adapt to the future works which will soon become its neighbors. The most used material in the construction of the center is wood. The material had been chosen for its warmth, along with its uses in carbon footprint reduction, namely its qualities of CO2 absorption.

The design team describes the construction process: ‘A completely dry construction method was used. A metal framework of girders and pillars was erected, working in collaboration with a load- bearing system of radiata pine cross-laminated wood panels and ceilings that brace and give stability to the whole.

‘The interior claddings are limited to areas of plywood skirting to enable the passage of electrical and data connections, and otherwise the interiors are the bare CLT structure and the metal framework with fire-resistant paint.’

image © José Hevia

haz arquitectura’s passive design methods

image © José Hevia

self-cooling and self-powered

The walls and doors along the corridors of the community center incorporate a specific design that directs air through the assembly toward central chimneys and to a rooftop service space. Here, the air is blown directly onto the machines inside, ensuring an ideal temperature no matter the condition outside. ‘This allows the machines to function with less effort and less electricity consumption,’ the architects note.

Finally, the use of photovoltaic panels along the roof generates 60,000W of electrical power annually, ‘making consumption very close to zero.’

image © Adrià Goula | @adriagoulaphoto

image © José Hevia

image © José Hevia

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image © Adrià Goula

image © Adrià Goula

lower floor plan

first floor plan

second floor plan

third floor plan

long section

short section

site plan

diagram

diagram

project info:

project title: Center for Community Life

architecture: Haz Arquitectura | @hazarquitectura_barcelona

location: Trinitat Vella, Barcelona, Spain

client: BIMSA

project authors: Manuel Sánchez-Villanueva Beuter, Carol Beuter Sánchez-Villanueva

photography: © José Hevia, Adrià Goula | @adriagoulaphoto