Barcelona's Olympic Village, 1989-1992

 

Location: Barcelona

Architect: Oscar Tusquets Blanca

Collaborators:

Project Coordinator: Carles Díaz

Project Manager: Andrés Monzú and Josep Palaín

Quantity Surveyor: María Roger and Pep Cabrera

Built area: 6.309 m2

In preparation for the Barcelona Olympic Games, the City Hall decided to create a new district in an old disused industrial area near the sea. It was to be home for the athletes participating in the Games and would then form a new residential district of the city. The FAD prize-winning architects were assigned different tasks, all of which had to comply with certain common conditions. OTB was commissioned to design two residential blocks, two office towers and the entrance pavilion for a shopping centre. The buildings were in OTB's classic style, using brick and artificial stone to establish the compositional format.

A large porch links the two residential blocks and the entrance to the shopping centre. All the buildings have ample balconies, rather unusual in the city since they are rarely used - but totally justified in this case due to the privileged setting overlooking the sea, and a design which generously safeguards the residents' privacy. In the flats located on the side of the building, a projecting glass corner serves as a deluxe viewing point over the sea and city below. Between the two residential blocks and serving as the entrance to the shopping centre there is a porch with a large ceramic tiled roof on wooden truss - a roofed plaza.