Catalan architecture

Catalan architectural studio HARQUITECTES has designed a contemporary farm-style house around the ruins of Mas Geli, an old farmhouse in Baix Empordà, a county in the Girona region of Catalonia. House 1627 marries existing cyclopean stone walls with new cyclopean reinforced concrete walls. Adrià Goula HARQUITECTES Prior to the project, the remains of the old farmhouse consisted of just two cyclopean stone walls supported by large buttresses and some stone vaults. The revived home’s design thoughtfully embraces past and present, merging contemporary architecture into farmhouse vernacular. The approach taken by HARQUITECTES was one that renewed the structure while ensuring it maintained a connection with... More

Barcelona-based Batlleiroig, a multidisciplinary planning, landscaping, and architecture studio, has completed the recovery and improvement of a historic promenade in the Catalonian city of Reus. The 1.275-kilometer-long (0.8-mile-long) Boca de la Mina promenade was built in the 19th century — located in the north-west of Reus, it followed an existing path that led to the city’s mills (that were a vital part of Reus’s pre-industrial production). The project undertaken by Batlleiroig recovers the promenade’s full functionality, improves its accessibility, solves ongoing drainage issues, and protects its trees. Jordi Surroca DEL RIO BANI Batlleiroig Batlleiroig A place imbued with n... More

Barcelona-based architecture and urbanism firm JPAM has completed a student residence in the 22@ district of Poblenou, Barcelona. A project for student accommodation provider VITA, delivered in collaboration with Barcelona-based AVA Studio, the building’s design reflects the former industrial heritage and character of Poblenou. Known in the late 19th century as the “Catalan Manchester”, owing to the area’s sheer number of factories, Poblenou is now a hub for innovation, technology, and the creative industries. José Hevia José Hevia José Hevia The 13,583-square-meter (146,206-square-feet) residence comprises a six-story horizontal block and a 13-story tower. The buildin... More

Catalan architectural studio taller11 has created a house of two halves in Vilafranca, a center for the wine growing industry around 50 kilometers west of Barcelona. A home for a couple and their two children, the house, curiously named CASA0006, has a party wall on its south-west side and a vacant plot on its north-east side. Budget constraints and a request by the client that the home should have two or three bedrooms and several multipurpose spaces, resulted in a clever design layout. Atzar López Vilanova taller11 A house of two halves, taller11 placed the bedrooms and living areas in a heated volume of massive mortar block masonry. On the other side of this, the studio created a winter garden/sunroom — a... More

Located in Barcelona’s Gracia district, this traditional two-storey building has been transformed by m-i-r-a architecture to include three contemporary apartments. Each unit has been carefully re-worked to provide modern living space while retaining the charm of the original Catalan architecture.  DEL RIO BANI Called ALBA, the building’s alabaster façade is features traditional stucco detailing and contrasting dark-brown windows, typical elements of a Gracia townhouse.  DEL RIO BANI Inside, spaces feel refreshed but not overdone as original features and shapes inspire the finished design. Floors are lined with traditional ceramic tiles and vaulted Catalan ceilings float overhead while original expose... More

In the Eixample district of Barcelona, Casa Bures has been recovered as a modern building for residential use. Overlapping heritage rehabilitation with housing rehabilitation, the renovation, undertaken by TDB Arquitectura,  is an important milestone for the city in terms of intervention that preserves residential fabric, through a renewed look a the value of modern and traditional architecture. Aleix Bagué Cara Bures was originally constructed between 1900 and 2905 by Francesc Berenguer y Mestres, a close collaborator of Gaudi. A total of 7,700 m2 of six storeys, the structure is listed as Heritage Protection Level B. Originally housing large dwellings of great architectural, heritage and ornamental value, the buildin... More

In Priorat, Spain, GMO Arquitectura have rehabilitated and transformed a small Catalan country house, or ‘Mas,’ into a refuge for short-term vacation breaks. The retreat embodies the found state of the Mas and the rough and wild site of volcanic origin that surrounds.   Del Rio Bani The building is organized around two adjacent naves positioned at different levels. Constructed in different eras and adapted to the topography of the site, the new architecture differentiates itself from the pre-existing building mass. A conservative approach was taken to the original façade with only the necessary windows added to guarantee the required ventilation for the different rooms of the project. Del Rio Bani Importa... More