Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Bright shades of yellow and green help elderly people find their way around in this 17-storey housing block in Barcelona by Spanish architects Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana (+ slideshow).

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

“The building is divided into three communities and each community is assigned a different colour to facilitate orientation,” Pons told Dezeen. “We’ve used yellow and two shades of green, one lighter and one darker. These colours are uplifting whilst also calming.”

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Located beside a motorway on the edge of the city, the tower contains 77 government-allotted apartments for pensioners.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

A shared garden covers the top floor of the building, which Pons hopes will be used by both grandparents and grandchildren.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Corridors and staircases wrap the exterior and lead into double-height communal spaces, which were designed to encourage residents to communicate with their neighbours. ”The hallways were conceived as streets,” explained Pons.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

At ground level, the building opens out to a small public square that it shares with a new sports centre and housing development.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

See more stories about housing, including an apartment block with a grid of chunky balconies.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Photography is by Adrià Goula.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Here’s a project description from the architects:


Torre Júlia. Government-allotted housing for elderly people

This project forms part of the urbanization that is taking place in one of the lots left over after the construction of the Ronda de Barcelona, a bypass road, in 1992.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

A sports centre, a residential development and an old people’s home will all share the same space, creating a public area that will stretch from the street to a square giving access into the different facilities.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

A prominent feature in the city’s northern quarter, Torre Júlia rises up to a height of 17 floors.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

There are three areas in the building. Each community has a larger space assigned, where users carry out most of their collective activities. These spaces, the core of the proposed project, figure plainly on the building’s frontage, which is wrought entirely in concrete and works as a cantilever beam.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Typical floor arrangement – click above for larger image and key

Wide corridors overlooking the city, stairs in all outdoor places, double-spaced areas and sun-shaded terraces configure a building that is intended to give elderly people an opportunity to socialize and engage in community activities.

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Site plan

Project team: Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons, Ricard Galiana
Address: Via Favència 348-350, Barcelona
Program: 77 Home Units, Facilities and Parking Space
Construction dates: Building 2009-2011

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

First floor plan – click above for larger image

Client: Patronat Municipal de l’Habitatge
Collaborators: Gioia Guidazzi, Diana Sajdova
Consultants: Encarna García, BOMA, L3J, 3dLife, Ambar Fotografia, Artkitech, Estel Rosell
Contractor: Acsa

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Second floor plan – click above for larger image

Gross floor area: 8.391
Budget: 7.518.419
State: Built

Torre Júlia by Pau Vidal, Sergi Pons and Ricard Galiana

Section – click above for larger image

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An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

A room dedicated to ironing is at the centre of a renovated Barcelona apartment with yellow doors and a spinning mirror.

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

Architect Sergi Pons claims that the owner spends a lot of time ironing, so created a large aperture facing out from the laundry area into an open-plan living and dining room.

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

The spinning mirror is positioned on a low partition in the bedroom, separating the bed from the yellow doors and screens that conceal the bathroom behind.

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

The city centre apartment, named An Urban Refuge, also features pine floors and surfaces in each room.

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

We’ve featured a few projects in recent months with bright yellow walls and details – see our stories about a yellow concrete gymnasium, an apartment with a yellow storage wall and a canteen with a yellow-spotted ceiling.

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

Photography is by Adrià Goula.

Here’s some more text from Sergi Pons:


An Urban Refuge

This project sets out to alter and improve an apartment situated facing away from the road in a 1980’s building on carrer Casanova, on the left side of the Eixample in Barcelona. In defining the new use of space in accordance with the client’s needs, attention has been given to maximising the entry of daylight and the visual interrelationships between the different parts of the house, each with its own identity.

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

The aim is to give the occupant a permanent awareness of the entire space from each part of the house. The visual space flows in the same way as does the layout.The heart of the house is the ironing area where the owner spends a lot of time. An effort has been made to freeze this moment of intimacy and to use a large window to frame an undervalued yet daily activity.

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

Pine is used for the floors and some of the walls, and the colour yellow for the movable objects.The clean, well-defined design is intended to work without ornamentation. The functional objects, such as folding tables, hangers, portable mirrors, etc. give the space life, meaning and a sense of domesticity. These objects are the decor of the space.

An Urban Refuge by Sergi Pons

Architect: Sergi Pons
Collaborators: Anna Giralt
Situation: Barcelona, Spain
Project year: 2011