PERMEATE: Besòs Community Complex
FACADE and STRUCTURE
INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE OF CATALONIA, BARCELONA, SPAIN | SPRING 2021
PARTNER: Paulina Sevilla
FACULTY: Javier García-Germán, Miquel Rodriquez, Guillermo Sevillano, Elena Orte, et. al.
Apartment Balcony Model
PERMEABLE FACADE, BREATHABLE APARTMENTS
We were inspired by several projects of H Arquitectes and Lacaton & Vassal that use varying transparencies to create climatic buffer zones, increasing user comfort and adapting to various thermodynamic conditions.
Polycarbonate emerged as the protagonist of the façade. It is a durable, recycled, and recyclable material that could be easily replaced by the user in case of deterioration over time. Polycarbonate also offers various levels of transparency and natural daylight, which were essential to our thermodynamic strategy.
The apartments have passively conditioned balconies framed with folding polycarbonate panels on both the north and south façades. Their full operability allows natural ventilation and expansion of the interior spaces during the warmer months. In winter, they offer the possibility of feeling outside while maintaining a comfortable temperature inside the apartment.
The exterior faces of the massive CLT structural walls are clad with wood shingles. This shingle pattern is echoed in the polycarbonate shingle railings and glazing in select areas of the façade.
Detail Section (D)
Elevations: (Upper Left) Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest
STRUCTURE
The thermodynamic strategy of our apartments necessitated high permeability between the north and south façade, with massive CLT party walls between apartments forming more solid boundaries to the east and west. These walls rest upon a rigid frame GLT system below, where the program required more spatial flexibility and openness in all directions. The CLT building cores lend lateral stability. Where a basement level is present, more water-resistant concrete elements express a similar structural language to the GLT members above.
