Dwellings at Ali Bei St

Location: Barcelona, Spain
Arch. Co-author: Ricardo Guash
Arch. Coll: Enzo Vignolo, Albert Lluch
Year: 2001
M²: 3216
Promoter: PMH

The City of Barcelona was promoting temporary homes to rent for young people to ease the departure of their core-family. As a result of this idea the Town Hall organize this contest to which we were invited. The plot is resolved, like the ancient phalansteries of the XIX century, through apartments opened to a central courtyard to help and encourage the social life in common. The building compensates the narrowness of spaces with community areas like laundries, halls and canteens for possible celebrations. The apartments are small, just one or two bedrooms, but may temporarily segregate another space to sleep, giving flexibility to the house, in its different uses, day and night. The studied typology takes care very much in the storage area that young people in movement requires. “The snail is always carrying the house at backs”.