Control and openness

Unification of the entrances to the Banc Sabadell tower block on Barcelona’s Diagonal

In one corner of this great space, we lay out the main entrance to the tower block.

At the corner of the floor plan there is a triangle. The space is black but full of life, veined with colour.One side of the triangle marks the border, the point of control. Another, annexed to it, offers an unusualview, slightly raised above the rest.

Control and openness.

Josep Lluís Mateo, 2013

Banc Sabadell asked us to intervene in the public areas of the building that Francesc Mitjans designed inthe 1950s. On this occasion, the client wanted to unify the two entrances to the tower block.

In response to this brief, the project closed the entrance on Carrer Balmes, channelling all entry andexit to and from the building through the main entrance on Avinguda Diagonal, designed by Josep LluísMateo in 2007.

The new foyer and control area recover the image of the original project, giving it a more contemporary look.

A ceiling of light and a horizontal surface of yellow marble concentrate the reception and control desk,creating a place of transition.

The part of the foyer devoted to verticalcommunications, at the end of this space, ismaterialized in a black trihedral (floor-wallceiling).The black marble and black reflectiveglass create the envelope for this space, whichoverlooks the street from an interior glazedbalcony.

The remodelling organizes, unites and simplifies entrance to the building, at the same time creatinga unitary image and recovering the representative status that had been disfigured by successivemodifications.