Bohemian('S)tree(t)

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Bohemian('S)tree(t)

SIZE

300,000 sqft - 500,000 sqft

In our times, the erection of special -in an architectural aspect- buildings to the majority of metropolitan centers, has enhanced the development of the section of tourism and business globally. One of the cities that has not only been benefited from the construction on important architectural buildings, but also has become one of the most popular destinations is Barcelona.
The project Bohemian Hostel is an architectural scenario that is going to increase the tourism, by attracting the modern “flaneurs”, and through its modern design will become an international landmark bound in harmony to the already exhisted architectural treasure of Barcelona.
The given site is cited close to Plaza del MACBA, opposite to the famous museum of contemporary art, designed by Richard Meier. The aim of the project is the creation of a building which will redefine the notions of constructed and non-constructed space, as well as the typical arrangement plan for a functional connection of the rooms of the hostel through the decomposition in partial space and their re-composition in a unified route.
Our idea is based on the creation of a 5mx5m horizontal grid that covers an area of 70m length and 15m width. The height of the building, which was predefined to 100m, is divided to a vertical 3 dimensional grid with 3m height and 5m length and width. We split the horizontal grid in 3 zones. Each of them measures 5m width and 70m length. The central zone is a steel scaffold that consist the basic framework, while highlighting the notion of decomposition by preserving its primitive form. It accommodates the majority of the secondary spaces and some of the primary, such as the shared bathrooms, as well as the elevators and the staircases. Moreover our scaffold works as the main supporting factor that ensures the stability of our building and as the carrier of all electric, mechanic and hydraulic systems.
The two side-zones accommodate all the double rooms. These two zones represent the modern Bohemian streets. They look like two ribbons that were dropped and frozen on air before they collide to the ground. However, they are the streets of a vertical city that are folding on a vertical level and accommodate in their folds the buildings of this city. Thus a contemporary model of a deconstructed city is formed, based on the bodily movement. Our “streets” are made by steel frames coated with wood.
The building has 14 floors. The height of the floors varies between 3m and 15m and every side of them is open. As a result of this diversity, different groups of Bohemian’s residences (doubled rooms) are formed - from one single floor to five floors clustered in one fold. Each room occupies 25m². There are 50 double rooms on the whole building and they are connected with separate elevators and staircases. All of them have a balcony of 2.40m length, with view to the “plaza del MACBA” or to other neighbourhoods of the city. The rest spaces follow the prescription of the building programme. Thus there are 10 shared bathrooms that each of them occupies an area of 25 m², an administration room of 50 m² on the 1st floor, a Lounge of 200 m² on the 1st floor, a dining room of 300 m² on the 10th floor, a Kitchen of 100 m² on the 10th floor, 5 rooms for staff that its of them occupies 10 m² and are placed on he 3rd floor, a Laundry of 100 m² on the 8th floor, an Infirmary of 25 m² on the 3rd floor, a viewing area of 25 m² on the 8th floor, a storage of 30 m² on the 3rd floor, a store of 100 m² on the 11th floor, a Bar of 300 m² on the 14th floor, an Internet Terminal of 50 m² on the 3rd floor, a General Storage facility of 100 m² on the 8th floor and a maintenance storage area of 50 m² on 6th floor. The total are of the Hostel is 4000 m².
The orientation of the site has been taken into consideration and it was a major factor that affects the way we designed the facades of the hostel. On the north view we designed narrow slits in order to protect the interior spaces from heat loss. On the contrary, we designed longer and wider windows in order to take the advantage of the sunlight, when that is necessary. To avoid the overheat during the summer period we have placed horizontal blinds. The ventilation and the cooling is happening in a direct way. For the safety of the hostellers we have placed banisters or glass walls along and across every closed or opened space.