El Raval, in Barcelona’s Barrio Gottico (Gothic Quarter), there is a dense, diverse and lively intersection of forces that surround the site selected for our studio this semester. The program of the studio included a theatre academy, retail space, dense housing and any program that we wanted to incorporate into the site. My project, for my Fall 2005 semester at UIC,  was called Hybrid Housing because of the building mass, the various uses as well as the unit layouts.

The site of this project bordered a dense residential and commercial street that led back to MACBA, a large scale major thoroughfare (Via Diagonal) and a park.  The programmatic requirements of the project demanded dense units which lead the project to function as a tower.  But, formally a tower or a series of towers would destroy the rhythm of the small scale street.  However, the identifiable space between towers would make the park appear more open.  I didn’t want to settle for less than addressing all of these challenges for the building mass.  While I feel that I was able to get the building mass to function for the site, it was a short semester in my study abroad studio and I wasn’t able to develop the project as far as I would have liked.  The final building mass does reinforce the Hybrid Housing name because it learns from the housing types and uses them for their maximum potential of the site.  From the park, the building appears to be 3 connected towers.  From the dense small scale commercial and residential street, the building has a continuous facade that is more cohesive with the rhythm and programmed spaces of the street.  The civic component of the project, a drama school was positioned at the intersection of  the park and Via Diagonal.

The apartment units were also thought to be hybridized spaces.  Since the units were very small, the plans attempt to maximize open space which would allow multiple uses depending on the current resident.  The studio apartments were particularly my focus because since they were small, they would need to feel larger than they were, offer as much space as possible and still function as an apartment.  This was achieved with sliding doors, pocket doors and the potential to completely close off an apartment or completely open it up (to the other spaces).

Location: Barcelona, Spain