Subsidized Housing with a Sea View

On the outskirts of Barcelona, Dataae and Xavier Vendrell Studio have built 39 apartments – with a sea view and using climate-friendly techniques – for low-income residents.

Layered facades, tiered buildings 

Even from a distance, the curtains blowing in the wind draw attention as they alternate with sliding glass elements. However, these facade elements serve a pragmatic function as well. In the summertime, the glass is open, allowing the wind to waft through the building. At these times, the curtains provide protection from the sun. On the other hand, in winter the sliding elements remain closed, while the curtains are open. As in a sunroom, the heat in front of the facade is then captured and warms the flats.  

The 39 living units are distributed over two structures. The upper building looms 17 m above the lower one and has been placed on a concrete slab that protrudes 4,20 m. This means that hardly any earthwork was required in the rocky area beneath the ground. In this building, the apartments form a row along a central corridor. In contrast, the lower building bends in the middle as it follows the topography, allowing all the units to face the sea.

Natural air conditioning 

Because no power-hungry air-conditioning units have been planned for these apartments, the architects have used the Venturi effect to cool the building. In the front house, openings in the corridor ceilings let air stream through all levels. The breeze is quite noticeable. Fresh air enters the flats through ventilation flaps above the main doors. The rear building is cooled via cross-ventilation. Large openings on each side of every apartment can be opened for this purpose. The building has achieved energy-efficiency class A thanks not only to the orientation of each building part, but also to the shell, which has a low rate of transmission and a U-value of 0,30 W/m²K. 

Access done differently 

In the lower tract, tenants enter their apartments via an access pergola. However, the public access and private spaces are not strictly delimited here. Cut-in areas create additional semi-public areas in front of each main door; these spaces can serve as seating nooks, bicycle storage or playrooms. Residents themselves can determine whether the sliding grate doors to the pergolas remain open or closed. It is recommended that tenants close the grates whenever they go out and the windows by the door have been left open for cross-ventilation.