SOCIAL HOUSING IN IBIZA

José Hevia

• Architects

The site is located on the border of the residential area of the Ibiza marina and an area of floodplains and crops. The urban context is diverse in architectural character and content, where buildings for leisure and tourism coexist in the form of blocks of flats and apartments for vacation use. The landscape is formed through the placement of these isolated volumes which no identifiable masterplan or response to the local environmental factors, presenting therefore a collage of different characters.

Our architectural approach moves away from this ‘visual chaos’ to present a building which responds to the climate and takes reference from the island’s distinct way of life. It takes cues from the Ibizan country dwellings to create a vernacular response made up of white walls, well placed openings with solar protection, external porches with a balance of shaded areas.

The structure can be interpreted as a series of interconnected pavilions designed to extend based on the spatial needs to those inhabiting the spaces. This reference to stacking and adding modules as a response to the programmatic needs of the dwellers forms the starting point of our conceptual response and further design
development.

In accordance with the local urban regulations, the volume of the building inscribes a pyramid whose boundaries are determined based on its intended height and location from the neighbouring party walls. This reflects the volumetric definition of existing buildings in the region.

The site sits on a high water table which drove the decision to locate the car park at ground level minimising the need for deep excavations or introduction of services below ground.

There are a total of 19 dwellings distributed over the five upper storeys. The dwellings are oriented to open to at least two faces ensuring access to natural daylight and cross-ventilation. Adopting this approach has resulted in
the building achieving an excellent energy rating (A).

The individual units are composed into a whole by stacking each dwelling on top of the other seeking to achieve a final configuration that is permeable to daylight and natural breeze. This additionally allows the design to move away from a perceived grouping of rigid unit types.

The typology of the units is generated using a square base module which contains the living, dining and kitchen areas. Further to that smaller modular units are attached accommodating the bedrooms and wet areas. A combination of these modules has been used to generate the catalogue of dwellings based on the required
number of bedrooms.

The final built volume of the dwelling is designed to maximise the external envelope and releases a void in the core of the dwelling. The resultant interior spaces are further defined and clustered around linked openings, patios and porches to create an intimate relationship between the common spaces and circulation.

By adhering strictly to the laws that govern the architecture, the resultant system gives rise to a versatile housing typology that affords individual units access to their environmental needs without compromising the wider requirement of standardised solutions which the development of the VPO must meet.