The transformation carried out by the labaula cooperativa studio presents three different programs with different uses. The first program, a multifunctional room on the ground floor, is designed to be able to hold presentations and exhibitions, becoming a flexible space. The second consists of a room complementary to the multifunctional room, which can also be used as an independent space. The Youth House becomes the third and last use.
The intervention preserves the old urban layout of the municipality, establishing a direct relationship with the Plaza Constitució through the façade. In it, a series of arches act as a cornice protecting the old roof. On the outside, the original masonry wall is preserved, while the interior is covered with cement-wood and brick panels.
The main objectives of the rehabilitation of the building were to improve the climate, adapt the building for better accessibility and resolve structural problems, such as reinforcing the floors and the roof.
Municipal equipment in Santa Coloma de Cervelló by labaula cooperativa. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Project description by labaula cooperativa
The old Town Hall of Santa Coloma de Cervelló is a building located in the heart of the historic centre. Originally, the building was built as a Town Hall, and in the mid-19th century it became the home of the first municipal public schools, as well as the teachers' homes. Since then, the building has been used for a number of purposes, including: slaughterhouse, headquarters of the Democratic Town Hall, Youth Centre and food bank, among others. Poor maintenance led to its general poor condition, which led to the process of rehabilitation and transformation as a municipal facility due to its special relationship with the citizens and the memory of the municipality.
The transformation of the building has been based on three programmes of different uses that have had to be made compatible with each other, with independent accesses but which could interact at specific times. Firstly, a multifunctional room on the ground floor designed as a flexible room for other uses, as well as a room for presentations, exhibitions, etc., which has direct access from Pl. Constitució. In addition, a system of swing and sliding doors allows for compartmentalisation, as well as for it to be completely darkened for specific events. Secondly, an adjoining room that can be used as a complementary room to the presentation room or for independent use. Finally, a Youth Centre (Esplai) on the first floor, with an independent staircase and lift and a rear access via Església Street.
The greatest challenge of the intervention lies in how to act in relation to the very nature of the building. The character of the current building is based mainly on the relationship that the building establishes with Plaza Constitució and on the fact of preserving the old urban layout of the municipality. On the main façades, a set of ceramic arches that, like a cornice, protect the ventilation crosses of the old roof are, together with the chimneys and decorative elements of the roof, all the significant elements worthy of mention. Once inside the building, nothing relevant to preserve prevails except, perhaps, the construction system itself. This, based on a relatively conventional construction, was carried out in successive construction phases without being able to establish conclusively the stages of the same.
The project started from a set of actions based on the climatic improvement of the building and the total adaptation to accessibility, together with the resolution of structural issues, such as the reinforcement of floors and the roof. At an organizational level only one decision was taken: to place the communications core, formed by the elevator and staircase, so that they organize the set of circulations and spaces of the building. These two bodies are intertwined vertically and serve as a strategy for the entire action by organizing the light and materials of the intervention.
In the material selection and arrangement plan, two opposing but complementary strategies have been arranged. On the one hand, the original masonry dividing wall is shown, as well as the central wall with all the stratifications of phases and materials in view. In contrast, the interior faces of the facades are covered with high-performance cladding made of cement-wood panels and brick.
