Architects: Ignacio Martínez Molina + Héctor Nevot LLoret
Contest 2023 Finalist
Location: Manresa (Barcelona)
Surface area: 400 m2
2023
The proposal organizes the spaces in a linear way, adapting to the topography and geometry of the site, fulfilling the requested program. Circulations are minimized by reducing the total built-up area. The proposal foresees that all areas of the program will be located on the ground floor to facilitate the mobility of users.
The entrance area has the lobby and waiting rooms visible from the common work area, with good access control. The rest of the waiting and assistance areas are placed sequentially. The staff has a second independent entrance so that the internal operation does not interfere with the public.
The urban fabric is medium-density residential with buildings built on open islands, with urban-type vegetation in the streets and parks. The site is trapezoidal with a flat topography in the central part, but with slopes at the longitudinal limits, due to the differences in elevation with the surrounding streets and the adjoining site. The building is implanted on the longitudinal axis, favoring access by the appropriate elevation, and fragmenting the volumes to lower the volumetric scale and prevent it from being identified as a public building.
Volumetrically, it consists of 4 contiguous houses located along the longitudinal axis of communication and deprived of views from the outside. This axis, both covered and uncovered, is also the element that, oriented in an east-west direction, runs parallel to the street and vertebrates the whole. The storage boxes are attached alternately on both sides, thus defining a series of wall-openings, which are used for access to the enclosure, evacuation in case of fire, and for ventilation and lighting. At the urbanistic level, the equipment is integrated with the nearby green areas, hiding itself as a sort of a shadow under the new proposed tree plantation.
A sober and modular building is proposed, with adequate external proportions, white, GRC panels with vertical stripes texture to increase the surface treated with photocatalysis, with a use of native vegetation that turns the intervention into a natural one with trees, plants and green roofs. The interior space proposes a domestic atmosphere, which together with the wood in finishes and fuses provides a warm atmosphere to those spaces dedicated to children, and establishes a strong relationship between the interior and the outdoor patio.
The relationship of the most private rooms with the exterior is by means of openings to the façade walls or high ceilings by means of a filter of lime and vegetation, in order to preserve privacy. The project ensures that all internal spaces have plenty of natural light. The more public areas, such as circulation, waiting rooms and common work areas, also have views of the perimeter gardens.