Selected for the Biennale Architettura, the “Open Regeneration of Housing Estates in Barcelona” proposal will be displayed in the central pavilion during the 19th edition of the event, from 10 May to 23 November.  

The exhibit will illustrate the application of designs to improve liveability and sustainability in residential complexes constructed between 1950 and 1975 on the periphery of Barcelona and its metropolitan area.  

The proposal involves a series of structures attached to existing buildings to enhance, protect, and provide residential buildings with transitional and outdoor spaces for increased flexibility.  

These designs, presented at the Biennale, aim to “enhance the quality of housing, communal spaces, and urban areas in residential estates, whose regeneration remains a significant challenge,” says Pere Joan Ravetllat, REARQ coordinator and professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB).  

The project is led by Pere Joan Ravetllat, Sara Vima, Jesús Quintana, Aleix Salazar, Còssima Cornadó, Marta Domènech, and Isaac Colin (REARQ-UPC), with Xavier Llopis, Agustina Etcheverry, and Marta Yago (Sorigué). 

A flexible, scalable, and open regeneration system  

The “open regeneration” concept relies on expanding existing residential buildings using a self-supporting, modular, and adaptable system. The displayed designs demonstrate various applications of this system to address diverse urban scenarios in real and complex contexts, underscoring its urban and territorial impact.  

Beyond enhancing housing performance, the designs improve ground-floor connections, blind facades, communal rooftop use, community space expansion, and vertical accessibility and building entrances. Implementation can occur in phases, allowing for gradual improvements based on available investments over time.  

The new transitional and expansion spaces also enhance the environmental and urban qualities of the surrounding area, revitalizing the estate’s appearance while preserving historical finishes. 

The proposals will be presented via a display board with models, the exhibition catalogue, and large-format banners featuring realistic visualizations. An audiovisual presentation will highlight the reality of Barcelona neighbourhoods and the Besòs Axis, showcasing their buildings and housing through residents’ perspectives, paired with visualizations of their potential transformation through open regeneration projects.  

Exhibition setup  

The display includes an explanation and a full-scale model of the “Regenerating Barcelona” system, created by REARQ-UPC, Sorigué, and GICITED-UPC, supported by the Municipal Institute of Urban Planning, the Barcelona City Council’s Urban Planning Department, and the BIT HABITAT Foundation.  

This project won the 2022 Urban Challenge for regenerating residential buildings with innovative, sustainable systems. A prototype was constructed at UPC’s Besòs Campus and has earned multiple awards over the past two years, including the 2023 SOM Foundation European Research Prize from Chicago, the 2024 Catalonia Construction Award for Innovation, finalist status at the 2024 Ibero-American Biennial in Peru, and finalist in the 2024 World Smart City Awards.  

Based on a self-supporting wooden structure, the system offers a modular framework adaptable to various needs and uses, which can support subsystems or “kits” for functions like expanding interior spaces, energy-efficient facade rehabilitation, adding photovoltaic panels, water storage and regeneration, renaturalization, and environmental variable monitoring.  

Researchers note that the system “strives to be exemplary in its ecological approach, from construction to use, utilizing locally sourced, recyclable, and reusable materials, and dry assembly for a fully demountable system.”  

The system also integrates dynamic elements and biodiversity features, forming an ecological infrastructure that “helps regenerate a micro-ecosystem with environmental and social benefits at multiple scales, for residents, the neighbourhood, biodiversity, and the urban context where it is inserted.”