El Poblenou, formerly known as the Catalan Manchester, continues with its transformation process from an old industrial neighborhood to a pole of technological attraction and innovation. In a path that began more than two decades ago and with a recent change in planning to build more housing, the 22@ district has become a breeding ground for leading companies in emerging sectors where office building designs are some of its protagonists.
On this side of the city, architects are also experimenting with more sustainable architecture and want to make their mark on a mutating urban landscape. One of the latest proposals has been developed in one of the axes with the most identity in the neighbourhood, on Pere IV street, in the hundred-year-old Balius hardware store, once a pantry for the numerous factories that were looking for a specific part or tool. After its closure in 2012, the business was waiting for a new life that today is a reality. The result has been a coworking space in a building that stands out for its glazed wooden façade with large flower boxes, preserving the original metal structure of the building in the foreground.
Behind this project is the studio of the architect and urban planner Daniel Mòdol, who was a councilor responsible for Architecture, Urban Landscape and Heritage with the PSC when the socialist group was part of the government of Ada Colau in the first legislature of the commons. For the architect, one of the most important current challenges in Poblenou consists of “valuing” those architectures that refer to a certain moment in history and that “are in direct opposition to new architectures”. In this sense, he has highlighted that in this project an effort has been made to respect the original architecture and to adapt it to new needs.
Another effort has focused on making an efficient property from an energy point of view and with the use of natural materials such as wood, iron and ceramics, which has led it to obtain the Leed Gold certification, an international seal that accredits sustainable buildings. Among other interventions, a pneumatic collection system has been installed in the basement and has been connected to the Districlima urban hot and cold network for the use of hot water, air conditioning or heating.
On the other hand, Mòdol has commented that it is the only building in the neighborhood with a practicable wooden façade, that is, all the windows can be opened and the planters are located at ground level. The architect’s idea has been to move the exterior to the interior and vice versa where light played a key role. To achieve this, in addition to making the main façade glazed when it was blind before, a light well has been created where the old staircase used to be and pavés have been used on the rear façade.
The old building was growing based on its commercial success. It started with a ground floor and went up to four floors. On each floor, this industrial and commercial past is perceived with its enormous metal structure. Some spaces also nod to the sections of the old hardware store, such as painting, carpentry or gardening.
In the design of the project, the architect explained that the impact of the covid has been decisive after “changing the rules of the game” by demanding more and more office buildings “more comfortable and intimate spaces like at home” and outdoor areas for so on the upper floor two terraces have been created, with views of the Torre Glòries. “With the choice of certain materials we have incorporated not only an architecture from the world of offices but also from the world of homes that serve to solve what we need inside the home”, added Mòdol.
The works finished last summer with an investment of 5.3 million and some spaces are already occupied by some companies. Today, the result of this rehabilitation has been presented to the media. The building, owned by Merlin Properties and managed through its coworking company Loom, consists of a ground floor and four floors with a constructed area of ​​2,126.88 square meters.
