What was previously considered as a building that served as an enclosing element of the park, is now established as a building that merges with the square and generates a new space for complementary cultural use. Delicate vegetation enters the scene and partially covers the Ateneu, providing it with the necessary solar protection.
The upper floor of the building, which is accessed from the square divides the volume, is divided into 2 areas linked by a large external staircase. This segmentation prevents a break in the neighbourhood's routes and promotes the fluidity of its circulation. There is a permeable relationship between the exterior and the interior thanks to the large windows.
The structure consists of wooden porticoes with ballon frame enclosures, a metallic system as a façade, and sun protection is provided by wooden slats on the windows.
The pavilion programme is divided into two areas. The semi-buried floor has multiple leisure rooms and the upper floor has a bar and a multi-purpose room.
Ateneu La Bòbila in Plaza Sollér by Barrio Peraire Arquitectes. Photograph by Adrià Goula
Description of project by Barrio Peraire Arquitectes
The original Plaza Sóller complex was one of the first iconic Public Space works of Democratic Barcelona in the 1980s, led by Pasqual Maragall as mayor and Oriol Bohigas as chief architect. Despite its great initial contribution to the Porta neighborhood, throughout these 40 years, the complex had become obsolete and both the Park and the facilities were underused.
In 2016, the Barcelona City Council responded to a neighborhood claim that called for the comprehensive reform of the complex. The project includes the redevelopment of the Plaça Sóller Park (with an area of 20,000 m²) and the reform and expansion of the existing facility.
The "Ateneu la Bòbila" civic center is self-managed by neighborhood associations. Leisure activities and collaborative, educational, and solidarity projects are carried out with the most vulnerable people in both the park and the building.
Originally, the building consisted of a 900m² semi-basement floor with access via l'Estudiant street. The roof was a concrete porch that was at the level of the park, 3.5m above the street.
The project eliminates the porch and expands the area to 1,800m² by adding a new first floor in contact with the Park. The main entrance has been relocated to the new floor.
The park's strategy rests on three pillars:
From barrier building to pavilion in the park
Originally, the building was part of the perimeter structure that enclosed Plaza Sóller. One of the first measures was to demolish this building, with the exception of the semi-basement volume occupied by the civic center.
The reform of the building is accompanied by its immediate surroundings, integrating it into the new park as one more use. The vegetation of the new park surrounds and covers it, performing sun protection functions in an act of symbiosis. The old building, the barrier of the park, is now a Pavilion in the Park.
The facility as an enhancer element of urban life
The new floor of the building is divided into two wings by an external staircase that safely connects the main part of the park with the Paseo Ciutat de Mallorca (at the level of Student Street). This connection is integrated into the neighborhood's daily route network.
The new double-height lobby accompanies the two levels of public space.
Originally located on the semi-basement floor level (3.5m below the level of Plaza Sóller), the main access is now located on the upper level, in contact with the park.
Thanks to large windows, the internal route layout is in close interaction with the public space outside, producing a sense of urban security while stimulating its inner activity.
Contribute to the neighborhood network's project of social cohesion and the creation of a supportive civic movement
The program of the building is developed with the participation of neighborhood associations.
The building is divided into two wings:
- The semi-basement floor and the west wing of the new floor accommodate the Ateneo program. These spaces contain an auditorium, music rehearsal booths, graphic expression classrooms, body expression, training, child-rearing, meeting rooms, social services, and center management.
- The east wing of the new floor contains a multipurpose room and a bar. It is a separate entity, designed to function independently and designed also as a support for the activities that take place in the outdoor spaces of the park.
Materiality: Flexible building adapted to the pre-existing building
Dry construction is suggested for the expansion of the new level. There is a structure of wooden porches with a span of 10m every 5m, interior, and exterior balloon frame walls, and a metal façade with timber slats as sun protection.
The semi-basement floor reform is undertaken accordingly with the existing building's conventional construction.
The low work budget and need for future flexibility lead to a high level of truthfulness in the materiality, which displays the structure, installations, and coatings in their most literal form.
The new compositive order of the additional level, with a vertical wooden beams rhythm as solar protection, sews the two levels of the façade.
NZEB Architecture
For achieving ideal comfort at a low cost of environmental resources, the project takes as many passive measures as possible to reduce energy consumption, and also it generates energy with renewable energy.
- A thorough examination of the building envelope was conducted in order to precisely design the claddings based on their orientation.
- Solid solar protections such as the pergola and the façade slats.
- Seasonal vegetable sun protection (shade in summer-sunlight in winter).
- Use of materials such as wood and natural insulation in the structure and cladding of facades and roofs.
- Generation by aerothermal energy and photovoltaic solar panels.
