A4 Housing Block

Rubí, Spain

Photo © Andrés Flajszer

Architects: Xavier Vancells Arquitectura XVA

Location: Carretera de Sabadell, 22 , 08191 Rubí, Spain
Year: 2011

The lot is set in the middle of an urban setting in the process of being developed, characterised by a diverse context shaped by recently built housing and the industrial estate along the Riera de Rubí.

The scale of the building is resolved by establishing a balance between the industrial dimensions of its materials and the varied scale of the constructions around it.

The placement is heavily conditioned by the pre-established plan to divide the lot into three parallel strips, with the central strip, with a minimum width of 5 m, remaining free of any construction.

The proposal starts with the premise of widening as far as possible – to 10.50 m – the central strip in order to create a central space shared by the two linear blocks. This space gives rise to an interior garden with environmental conditions ideally suited to the various homes, which also enjoy the added benefit of crossed ventilation.

The entrances to the two blocks are organised into three nuclei arranged in the middle of the central garden space, making it possible to cross through the complex via a series of spatial thresholds that generate a chromatic differentiation between the interior gardens and the exterior.