Co-design and co-fabrication of rehabilitation solutions to improve the quality of life in El Raval
This project articulates a methodology of assisted rehabilitation in vulnerable residential communities through the co-design of replicable, small-scale projects and their further co-fabrication and implementation in five multi-family buildings in the Raval neighbourhood. Efficient low-cost, recyclable, license-free solutions that can be self-constructed with the assistance of local professionals and entities respond to the local and global urgency of improving living spaces in deprived areas.
Local
Spain
Barcelona municipality, Ciutat Vella district, El Raval neighbourhood
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-02-26
As individual(s) in partnership with organisation(s)
First name: Pere Joan Last name: Ravetllat Mira Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Spain Function: Research Coordinator, Full Professor and Researcher Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Diagonal, 649 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 630 94 91 56 E-mail:pere-joan.ravetllat@upc.edu Website:https://futur.upc.edu/PereJoanRavetllatMira
First name: Sara Last name: Vima Grau Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher, PhD Candidate, Lecturer Professor Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Diagonal, 649 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 625 54 21 31 E-mail:sara.vima@upc.edu Website:https://futur.upc.edu/SaraVimaGrau
First name: Còssima Last name: Cornadó Bardón Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher, Professor Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Diagonal 649 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 616 44 67 19 E-mail:cossima.cornado@upc.edu Website:https://futur.upc.edu/CossimaCornadoBardon
First name: Marta Last name: Domènech Rodríguez Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher, Lecturer Professor Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Diagonal 649 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 657 32 47 43 E-mail:marta.domenech@upc.edu Website:https://futur.upc.edu/MartaDomenechRodriguez
First name: Montserrat Last name: Bosch González Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher, Professor Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Dr. Marañón, 44-50 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 637 50 65 66 E-mail:montserrat.bosch@upc.edu Website:https://futur.upc.edu/MontserratBoschGonzalez
First name: Joan Ramon Last name: Rosell Amigó Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher, Professor Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Dr. Marañón, 44-50 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 620 94 94 97 E-mail:joan.ramon.rosell@upc.edu Website:https://futur.upc.edu/JuanRamonRosellAmigo
First name: Victoria Last name: Tous Monedero Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Associació Oasiurbà: non governmental organization Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher, Architect Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: C/ Sant Ramon, 6, local 2 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08001 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 672 25 40 24 E-mail:victoriatous@oasiurba.org Website:https://oasiurba.org/
First name: Júlia Last name: Brull Palou Gender: Female Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Associació Oasiurbà: non governmental organization Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher, Architect Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: C/ Sant Ramon, 6, local 2 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08001 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 619 64 55 55 E-mail:juliabrull@oasiurba.org Website:https://oasiurba.org/
First name: Gonzalo Last name: Piasek Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Argentina Function: Researcher, PhD Student Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Diagonal, 649 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 632 06 89 78 E-mail:gonzalo.piasek@upc.edu Website:https://futur.upc.edu/GonzaloPiasek
First name: Isaac Last name: Colin Ramió Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher assistant, Architecture Student Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Diagonal, 649 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 617 16 61 34 E-mail:i.colinramio@gmail.com Website:https://es.linkedin.com/in/isaac-colin-rami%C3%B3-327178110
First name: Albert Last name: Comas Sala Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya: Public University Nationality: Spain Function: Researcher assistant, Architecture Student Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Av. Diagonal, 649 Town: Barcelona Postal code: 08028 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 689 96 73 00 E-mail:albertcomassala@gmail.com Website:https://es.linkedin.com/in/albert-comas-sala-97b5ab1a2
This project addresses the urgency of improving living conditions in multi-family housing communities in deprived neighbourhoods through the bottom-up method of guided self-rehabilitation.
Barcelona’s Raval neighbourhood combines a high population density of inhabitants at risk of poverty and residential exclusion with a degraded building stock that fails to fulfil habitability requirements and is in need of expensive rehabilitation and heritage preservation.
This project consisted of the participatory design of a catalogue of small-scale solutions aimed at improving habitability in keeping with six principles: (1) sustainability, (2) interior air quality and sanitation, (3) inclusion, (4) care and health, (5) safety and (6) resilience. Low cost, perfectible, recyclable solutions designed in collaboration with residents meet urgent needs while respecting heritage protection. Several of these solutions were implemented in five multi-family buildings in the Raval. In each, we tested the feasibility of a guided self-rehabilitation process where residents worked on architectural solutions with help from local professionals.
The impact of the project is based on two characteristics: its bottom-up nature and its scalability. First, it relies on the capacity of residents and local entities to reconquer their right to housing and proactively transform their living spaces. Second, it is scalable thanks to the design of ‘plug-in’ solutions that were implemented in pilot cases and can be replicated in the rest of the neighbourhood or in similar contexts. We found that small-scale, participative socio-architectonic transformations can have a big impact by exploring the limits of simple and efficient constructive solutions that are low-cost, permit-free and do not require complex property agreements. Such projects can be easily managed and built by the residents themselves with help from local professionals.
Guided self-rehabilitation
Improving living conditions
Community-led design
Perfectible rehabilitation
Vulnerable multi-family communities
The rehabilitation and adaptation of the existing housing stock to meet residents’ needs and offer comfortable, safe living spaces plays a central role in the achievement of the Green European Deal. Specifically, it contributes to Sustainability Development Goal 11: making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
These aims have been addressed with the co-design of standardized solutions that are:
1. Easy to build. They can be implemented with guided self-construction involving residents and local professionals.
2. Perfectible. They are based on dry construction systems and are easily detachable from the built support so they do not compromise heritage protection and do not require complex building permits or property agreements.
3. Adaptable. They can be replicated and have an impact far beyond the pilot projects. They would work in most buildings in the Raval and in similar contexts (Mediterranean historic centres, vulnerable multi-family historic residential buildings).
4. Recyclable. The use of dry attached components through standardized solutions ensures circularity, attached solutions—or at least their components and materials—can be recycled, and no waste is generated if they are dismantled.
5. Participation. The involvement of residents helps to train them in the management, maintenance and re-use of built solutions, and it fosters the transformation of their habits into more environmentally and socially responsible practices.
The search for standardization, replicability, circularity and perfectibility in rehabilitation is a mandatory path towards the sustainable adaptation and improvement of existing living spaces. Furthermore, the incorporation of community-led design in rehabilitation and the formal architectural approach to self-construction practices that are common and involve large populations are key to advancing towards a more sustainable involvement of residents as proactive rehabilitation agents.
The projects’ key aesthetic goals are based on the socio-architectural and multi-scalar nature of the proposals.
First, participation by residents in the co-design of solutions and implementation processes calls for an open system that can embed multiple aesthetic configurations to meet the desires of different residents and communities. Solutions must deal with historic heritage elements and spaces with deformations and degradations caused by the passage of time and intensive use; as a result, open systems must be able to adapt to fit irregular shapes, and prefabrication is nearly impossible.
Although design solutions take shape on a small scale, the goal is for them to be applied to the transformation of the shared spaces of entire residential communities. These solutions can be applied to most—if not all—buildings in the Raval. As a result, a shared aesthetic can lead to transformations on an urban scale.
The proposed aesthetics simultaneously meet requirements on diversity, adaptability, scalability and universality. Each project was seen as part of a larger whole involving universal, open designs based on standardized constructive systems and local—often recycled—materials. Implemented solutions are replicable and recyclable and their shared aesthetics provide common ground for participative and adaptable formal configurations. This system is based on:
1. Industrialized components of adjustable size based on dry construction systems that can be adapted to fit different physical supports (irregular roof slopes and shapes, different types of stairs, irregular windows, etc.).
2. Open structures that can incorporate variable plug-in components (plants, shades, storage compartments, furniture, services, etc.)
3. Open designs that rely on the conceptual, methodological and tangible universality of open support structures to provide a design base that can admit variable and adaptable finishings (colours, materials, textures, etc.).
This project applies the “design for all” concept in terms of both target and proposed actions.
First, it addresses vulnerable households—communities living in multi-family housing in deprived urban areas who can barely improve their living conditions due to complex economic, social and technical impediments. Public rehabilitation programs have difficulty targeting the communities and residents who need them the most. It is even more difficult for them to do so in a quantitative way that can simultaneously benefit many communities in the short and medium term. This project contributes to research on low-cost, efficient solutions that can be self-managed and self-built proactively by residents with the support of the local productive and associative fabric. It is based on confidence in and appreciation of local capacities.
Another of the project’s guiding design axes is inclusion; it seeks to improve accessibility and habitability for a diverse range of residents in all stages of life with variable needs and aspirations. Common residential spaces are key to inclusion, as they provide intermediate spaces between private homes and public areas. Often, the lack of private spaces for certain domestic activities can be compensated with flexible, more resilient spaces for care and health, comfort, diversity and cohabitation. For example, exterior common spaces for residents to meet spontaneously and practice co-appropriation or more comfortable, safer circulation spaces that foster continuity and communication instead of acting as barriers.
Finally, inclusion was ensured by embracing citizens and residents’ participation in all phases of the project. Co-design and co-fabrication processes provided an environment and pretext for citizen empowerment and organization and turned into powerful experiences of community mutual support and proactive learning.
The project is a pioneering experience in capacity-building and cooperation between academics, non-profit local entities, the local productive fabric and civil society, with the financial support of the public administration. It was carried out by a team of architectural researchers, including members of a local non-profit who work hand in hand with the local population on a daily basis.
Citizen participation was included in all phases and consisted of:
1. A focus group of three local non-profits (a neighbourhood association, an entity that supports vulnerable populations and an organization of local professionals) accompanied the development of the project, offering a global view on both local needs and potentials for the implementation and replicability of solutions.
2. A first round of participatory processes where the needs and aspirations of residential communities were collected informed a draft catalogue of micro-projects. These were further co-designed, criticized, transformed and assessed in a second round of participation.
3. Residents of five pilot communities, together with local professionals, were involved in a deeper phase of co-design and prioritization of solutions to be implemented in their common spaces.
4. In the co-construction phase, residents who had building experience and skills helped to execute parts of the transformation with the assistance of local professionals, while others helped to organize, clean, cook and, in general, apply self-organization, mutual support and community-sharing.
Regarding sustainability, residents learned how to use and maintain their common spaces in more environmentally and socially responsible ways. Regarding inclusion, residents’ diverse needs and aspirations were negotiated and consensual agreements were reached; this resulted in more diverse aesthetic configurations. Residents’ satisfaction with their everyday living spaces and communities improved significantly.
This proposal addresses the right to decent housing as an issue that requires a multidisciplinary solution with the participation of a broad range of individuals. The driving entity consists of two UPC research teams focused on architecture, technology and restoration. They are aided by a non-profit organization involved in social architecture in the Raval neighbourhood; this entity provides a direct connection with the community and its associations, businesses and neighbours, as well as with local authorities. The applicant entity is made up of experts in a range of architectural fields from the Department of Architectural Projects and the Department of Architectural Technology of the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB) and the Barcelona School of Building Construction (EPSEB), both of which are part of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). It also includes a doctorate student with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and experience in the rehabilitation of disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Furthermore, multidisciplinary work is the goal of the Oasiurbà association, which combines professionals in architecture, law and social work. These specialists are essential to the development of participative processes, community management and mediation.
The bedrock of this project is the multidisciplinary methods used by the applicant entities. These are used to plan the different phases of the process; all stages require the collaboration of teams combining architecture and technology, social science and group participation. This allows us to include and evaluate the abilities and knowledge of the local community: from the firsthand knowledge of local issues of neighbourhood associations to the technological abilities of local professionals from the construction sector.
Our proposal focuses on the smallest possible scale of cohabitation—the inhabitants of an apartment building—to address the overall problem of housing in underprivileged areas. As a result, our participatory initiatives focus on individuals from the Raval neighbourhood; this includes both the inhabitants of specific buildings (case studies and pilot communities) and the members of different community organizations. The first focus group is made up of three organizations: a neighbourhood association (Xarxa Veïnal), an organization promoting the inclusion of vulnerable individuals (Tot Raval), and a local business association (Eix Comercial). Therefore, the involvement of small local businesses, artisans and professionals is central to all stages of the project (diagnosis, participation and design, and construction). The different debates and working sessions are possible thanks to help from the non-profit organization Oasiurbà, which is the co-author of this proposal and which has both a gathering space and a public service office in the Raval.
On a citywide level, different representatives of the district and municipal administration participate in the debates and working sessions that are part of the development of the project: district officials, representatives of the Barcelona Neighbourhood Plan and members of the Municipal Institute of Urban Planning; all see this project as an example for the development of new, innovative proposals, urban goals and European projects later on.
On an academic level, an initial series of debates include a series of local, national and international research and cooperation groups. This range of perspectives allows us to make strategic decisions and shared conclusions that serve as a basis for the project: the importance of shared spaces (1) and the dedication of most of the duration of the project to a participatory design process involving the final beneficiaries (2).
This project addresses the needs of vulnerable areas, communities and individuals requiring specific, urgent attention. As a result, its results and impacts are both methodological and applicable.
Thanks to the collaborative methodology used, alliances were created between different sectors: organized and non-organized residents, owners and renters, associations, local professionals, academic researchers and students. 17 local businesses with more than 30 professionals took part in the co-design and co-fabrication processes. Four local non-profit entities informed and assessed the project, with one being part of the team. Eleven communities were studied in detail, and five communities consisting of 61 dwellings and a population of 95 residents were chosen for pilot projects. 30 residents were involved in the co-design and co-fabrication of solutions in their shared spaces. Gender equality was achieved throughout the process and in different participation teams, with more than 55% of women overall.
Regarding the materialization of solutions, two pilot communities prioritised an intervention adding a pergola to the shared rooftop space to promote well-being and cohabitation. Two different versions of the same adaptable dry construction structure were built with recycled, local materials; they included greenery, shade and storage space. Two other communities chose to improve ventilation and illumination through the selective replacement of existing openings and light systems throughout the entryway and staircase. Finally, one community agreed on an intervention to make the stairs more accessible, beautiful and safe. With costs ranging from 5,000 to €15,500, built solutions required little or no maintenance and simultaneously improved sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics. They are directly replicable in most vulnerable multi-family housing communities in the Raval (up to 17,300 dwellings and 48,688 inhabitants) or in similar contexts.
The rehabilitation of shared spaces in multi-family housing is a common practice that requires community agreements, a technical project and a building permit. In the Raval, these actions usually involve investments ranging from €50,000 to €150,000 depending on the building and the complexity of the required intervention. Although there is a widespread need for large-scale rehabilitation, the communities that need it most face strong impediments to carrying out self-financed and self-managed interventions. This proposal provides an exploration of the limits and potential of alternative, affordable, small-scale solutions (€5,000-€15,000/building) with an impact throughout the building thanks to the combination of many small interventions in common spaces.
This project uses a bottom-up, collaborative methodology that not only includes citizen participation in decision-making but is also based on local capacities for the materialisation and replication of solutions. There are increasingly common experiences of assisted self-rehabilitation, but most consist of repairing specific or partial damages. Here, rehabilitation is seen as a multi-scalar and multi-faceted opportunity to transform and improve living spaces not only to meet technical requirements but also to offer more sustainable, inclusive, beautiful spaces that enhance new living experiences and cohabitation practices.
While there are great examples of improving shared spaces in cooperative communities and public social housing, common spaces in existing privately-owned multi-family buildings are neglected in the academic world of architecture and design. Furthermore, low-cost, perfectible and standardised solutions are often limited to temporary or furniture-like elements in domestic or public urban spaces. Research on the design and implementation of small-scale affordable systems that can permanently attach to existing spaces (at least in the medium term) and improve their performance is less common.
This project addresses sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion, improving living conditions through tangible and intangible transformations in six areas:
1. Sustainability: improving interior comfort and energy efficiency.
2. Interior air quality and sanitation: improving ventilation and light in common spaces.
3. Inclusion: improving the accessibility and adequacy of common spaces for different ages and needs.
4. Care and health: improving residents’ habits of use and the adequacy of common areas as spaces for care.
5. Safety: adequacy of circulation spaces, accessibility, and the removal of polluting materials from common spaces.
6. Resilience: increasing the flexibility and versatility of spaces for different uses and needs.
Although some of the proposals focus on one area using tangible actions, most combine at least two or three approaches with intangible transformations focused on residents’ habits and training. To this end, they are based on an extensive participative process that involves residents’ needs and capacities in the design process and aesthetic configuration. Eventually, neighbours, researchers and local professionals collaborate to co-fabricate the final prototypes.
As a result, multiple actions address all six conceptual areas. Staircases are made safer and more accessible by improving steps and railings. Energy consumption is reduced with more efficient LED technology, and residents’ perception of comfort and their experience of colour and light are improved. Air quality is improved with greater ventilation through selective openings throughout the building; this also brings in more natural light and provides better views. This is done in keeping with residents’ desire to dignify entryways and staircases without affecting their privacy. Finally, pollutants and obsolete installations are removed from rooves, and new structures are added to provide a flat surface and more storage, shade, greenery and new furnituture.
The methodology of this project was designed to be applicable in vastly different residential contexts and in communities facing management, economic and technical difficulties. The participative design of a catalogue of solutions provides ready-made, open designs that could be adapted and implemented in most multi-family historic buildings in the Raval neighbourhood or in similar contexts (Mediterranean historic centres and other vulnerable, existing multi-family buildings).
Previous fieldwork and research show that close to 40% of entryways in residential buildings in the Raval lack basic ventilation and natural light. About half of buildings in the neighbourhood have serious technical and spatial impediments to adding lifts and require improvements in the safety and accessibility of staircases. Almost all shared rooves are misused and lack adequate, safe, comfortable spaces. These are spaces where the pilot projects could be replicated as soon as they are adapted to meet the residents’ needs and desires.
The replicability and adaptability of the projects have already been tested in the pilot interventions. Different adaptations of the same open-system pergola were implemented on two community rooves, while the interior air quality of two staircases was improved through the implementation of the same micro-projects in entryways and staircase openings.
On a global level, the common ties formed between public administrations, academics (researchers and students), non-profits and civil society (neighbourhood associations and communities) allow for capacity building and the dissemination of the results and the technology used. The project will soon be exposed in a massive online, open course within an Erasmus+ project, and it will be part of the Barcelona City Council’s science sharing program and the UPC’s citizen science program.
The need to improve sustainability and living conditions in deprived areas of cities is a widespread global need, emphasized by an increasingly severe housing emergency in both the Global South and the Global North. In this context, the existing ageing housing stock provides more than 90% of available living spaces and contributes greatly to energy consumption. The urgent need to develop efficient, sustainable, affordable and far-reaching rehabilitation techniques and actions is more than justified globally.
In parallel, the field of architecture is experiencing a turn towards more collaborative and socially responsible practices that enhance citizen participation and empowerment and foster cohabitation and mutual support. The urgent need to improve quality of life in multi-family-housing in vulnerable urban communities can only be effectively approached through this transversal and collaborative approach to design.
Barcelona’s Raval neighbourhood—where a housing emergency and a population at risk of residential exclusion meet a degraded historic housing stock mainly consisting of multi-family, privately owned buildings—provides a wonderful pretext to locally address these global challenges.
The design of small-scale, low cost, standardised solutions does not only respond to global sustainability and affordability needs; it also meets specific local needs for heritage preservation and urgent self-manageable action in the short term. The proposed socio-architectural transformations are adaptable, replicable, and can have an impact on different levels and in contexts far beyond the pilot cases.
Proposed solutions are based on the capacity of local professionals, non-profit entities and residents to reach consensus and implement affordable, sustainable and replicable solutions co-designed with the help of applied academic research in architecture. The integral, scalable nature of this methodology is key to providing local answers to the exposed global challenges.
