'Best restored building in Spain'

Offices 1822 won the Spanish Architecture Award in the latest edition of the awards presented by the Superior Council of Collegiate Architects of Spain (CSCAE), together with the Red House. It is the best restored building in Spain. Located in Barcelona and designed by Studio Harquitectes, the CSCAE jury evaluated this renovation as "the transformation of an old industrial building into co-working space and living spaces with a bioclimatic strategy that promotes collaboration and natural comfort".

The start of the project

A competition was launched (as in many such cases) for projects to transform an inconspicuous building into new offices for a pharmaceutical company. The winner was Harquitectes: "It's an industrial space with all the''The attractive features of this type of building are: a huge amount of almost spacious cubic meters, natural light from the north, and an efficient and bright structure to work in. It's always interesting for architects to work in such spaces, regardless of their cultural value, but in this case it's even more interesting: the building could have been demolished because it has no protection and the potential for construction exceeds that of the existing structure. "

Transformation of space

The Harquitectes studio remodeled an industrial space for professional use. Wood, light and plants were the protagonists of the renovation. How do you create optimal workspaces? The advantage that''around a courtyard that provides natural light and a connection to the larger space and through it to the outside natural environment'.

Bioclimatization and more humane design

Harquitectes made use of the building's vast cubic meters, creating virtually identical patios for every 40 employees. Natural light and spacious cubic meters were key components of Harquitectes' work in the renovation.

The foundation, the main construction, is an industrialized construction from Egoin's CLT [wood panels], "creating virtually identical clausuras for every 40 employees. Thanks to their geometry, meeting spaces can be allocated without''disrupting the idea of working around the garden, which can be approached by crossing the courtyard. All interior and exterior windows are made of glass and folding steel structures. "

The jury attached particular importance to bioclimatization when awarding the prize for the best restored building in Spain, which Joser Ricart says is more of a strategy than a solution, and cites the example of the painting "Saint Jerome" in his studio by the artist Antonello da Messina (15th century): "We see the saint working in a large space that provides protection and shade, sitting on a wooden structure that combines the general conditions of a large cathedral with the geometry, comfort and use characteristic of more humane design. "

Humane'. '

The remodel includes a variety of work and meeting areas. The interior and exterior windows are glass and folding steel. The 1822 offices strive to be more humanized, offering the best possible conditions in terms of material and geometry (bioclimatic), and using wood insulation, active floor climatization through heating-cooling, dehumidifiers and other technologies. The intermediate space is passive, not programmed, generous and allows for unexpected uses, working spaces are comfortable, quiet, controlled.

The best restored building in Spain does not resort to artificial techniques that destroy the essence of the building itself, namely the central courtyard, around the''harmonize with the environment and offer the best conditions for work, life and culture.