RETIREMENT HOME AND DAY CENTRE                                                                               JUNE 2013




​The existing site sits on the boundary between Barcelona's old town and the 'Eixample', a grid plan introduced by Ildefons Cerdà which has allowed the city to expand since the mid-late 19th century. The main access road Rec Comtal links the site to important landmarks such as the Luis Companys Promenade and the Triomf Archway. The site is enclosed by a number of four-storey residential buildings which currently enjoy long hours of sunlight each day. The proposal would need to slot into a complex site and respect the surrounding buildings, whilst connecting two passageways which for many years have remained cut off from one another. A number of restrictions were highlighted in the brief such as a maximum ground floor occupancy of 60% and a maximum built height of four storeys.

The proposal places day centre facilities at street level connected by an internal courtyard and a new passageway, whilst retirement home rooms are placed on the above floors. All residents have access to their own balcony and overlook the tree-lined Rec Comtal Street or one of two central courtyards. The proposal leaves space between its largest built volumes and the surrounding residential buildings whilst joining the two buildings either side of the site via a south facing façade. The ground floor is permeable and allows people to access the facilities, internal courtyards and the newly opened passageway that links the north and south of the site.