The Aribau195 project aims to transform more than 19,000 sqm of built space in the heart of Barcelona. The intervention turns the necessity of refurbishing a building constructed in 1989 into an opportunity of restoring the urban fabric through the integration of the container and the provision of an attractive garden within the city block interior courtyard. The proposal which aims to coordinate both architecture and landscape manages to renovate a typical office building and at the same time revisit the founding spirit and identity of the Cerdá Plan from 1859, a symbol of Barcelona’s principle of egalitarian urbanism.
The requirement of renewal affords the opportunity of restoring the continuity of the urban fabric through the integration of the building shell and the inclusion of a garden within the interior of the city block. The project reconditions more than 80% of the original structure and applies a Core & Shell strategy that groups fixed services to provide users with 8,300 sqm of flexible and quality workspace within the city’s prime real estate area. The project employs landscape strategies to enhance city naturalization and biodiversity, improving ecosystem services for people.
The interior façade, roofs, and garden feature over 5,000 plants and 16 trees, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing the heat island effect. This contributes to more comfortable, healthier environments, resonating with Cerdà’s principles for Eixample interiors. In general terms the materials used for the project minimise the carbon footprint impact of the complete life cycle of the building construction while also adding warmth, liveability and comfort to the finaluser. The intervention focuses its efforts on the revitalisation of the interior of the block through strategic landscaping that makes a positive contribution to the greening of the city, increasing its biodiversity and improvements to ecosystem services for the benefit of human beings.