PERIS+TORAL ARQUITECTES

Description

This new residential building consists of a matrix of interconnecting rooms that eliminate corridors to guarantee optimum use of the floor plan. The use of timber enables the prefabrication of elements and improved quality of construction, which results in a major reduction in construction time and CO₂ emissions. Four, vertical lift shafts are situated at the four corners of the courtyard so that all the occupants converge and meet in the courtyard which represents a safe space from a gender perspective. The building accommodates 85 flats, 543 rooms – all with similar dimensions – and a total of 2,172 corners. Service spaces are positioned in the central ring, while the remaining rooms, of undifferentiated use and size (approximately 13 square metres) situated along the façade, accommodate different forms of occupation. The surface area and proportion of the flexible-use rooms facilitates the appropriation of space. A wraparound terrace in the outer ring completes the sequence. The apartments consist of five or six modules, depending on whether they have two or three rooms. The open-plan kitchen is located in the central room, acting as an element of distribution that replaces corridors, at the same time making domestic work visible and avoiding gender roles. The size of the rooms ensures an optimal bay dimension for the wooden structure. In order to achieve the economic viability required in social housing, the volume of wood has been optimised, representing 0.24 cubic metres per square metre of built surface area.