The new headquarters building of the Catalan Institute of Economists is a surprisingly light solid box made of simply drawn regular shapes that are nothing but a purely elegant abstraction on the urban landscape.
The new headquarters of the Catalan Institute of Economists of Barcelona occupies a narrow site with380 m²(1,247 ft²) of surface area and 32 meters(105 ft.) of street frontage at the far end of the Plaza Gal·la Placídiaadjacent to Via Augusta.
Once the urban reformation of the plaza is completed, the site will overlook a pedestrian space of 145 x45 meterswith trees, and will be bordered by the formerly mentioned street.
The parcel, which was occupied since the 1940’s with the attractions of the‘El Caspolino’ fair, is situated at the border between the neighborhoods of Gràcia and Sarrià-SantGervasi in the upper zone of the city of Barcelona.
The design of the new headquarters of the Catalan Institute of Economists is based on the action of opening and enjoying the architecture. The idea is to make the city open.
The building we have designed, since its beginnings, has had the capacity to be a piece of the city. It is what we call a “vertical square”. What does calling a building a vertical square mean?
It means that from here the economists look down onto the square, and the pedestrians of the square look up to them.
It means that each floor, like a gallery, has a foyer on the façade so that all who arrive and work at the headquarters enjoy the views and the southern sunlight of the square.
The vertical square is not only a place to socialize; it is also an opportunity to give visibility to the institution that it houses.
The vestibule space, in addition to being the social heart of the building, is also a climatic buffer which uses the tradition of the galleries of the architecture of Barcelona.
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Architects: Roldán+ Berengué
Project Team: Juanjo P. Jarque, Vicenç Sanz, Zana Bosnic
Structural: Agustí Obiol
Contractor: TAU-ICESA
Surface: 3.080 m2
Budget: 3.602.747 € (PEM); 4.287.269 € (PEC sin IVA)
Project date: 2009
Construction date: 2013
Photography: Jordi Surroca, Miquel Darder, Marcel Erminy