Blending in with the neighbourhood, favouring visual communication, emphasising common areas. The design of 70 social housing rental units for the Balearic Housing Institute (IBAVI) opens up a new dynamic for life on the outskirts of Palma, both from a formal and conceptual point of view. Instead
of conceiving a large compact block, the volume was divided into two identical, parallel buildings with enough space between them to generate a shared exterior space for circulation and socialisation – an entrance space that would have a strong presence for all the inhabitants.
The austerity and white compactness of the exterior façades are an expression of the strictness of their composition; however, the transparency of the interior façades offers a notable contrast with respect to the neighbouring buildings. The units are arranged crosswise with respect to the street, opening towards the community space and also towards the lateral façades. Cross ventilation in every unit.
The entrances to each of the 70 units are visible from the shared spaces, set along exterior corridors. They introduce a space of colour into the community and are protected by a galvanized steel mesh, which, like a thin metal skin, creates rhythms, while generating transparency and lightness, as well as offering views between the different floors and from one building to the other.
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