MAIO archivos - Global Spaces

40 social housing units building

Jordi Costa — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:34:20 +0000

Architects: MAIO Photography: José Hevia Construction Period: 2024 Location: Sant Feliu, Spain

ocated in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, the five-story housing project develops several social strategies that aim to improve urban connectivity, social equity and sustainability. It will host 40 social housing units composed of generic spaces, non-hierarchical, flexible and adaptable to changes in the vital needs of its inhabitants. The apartments are contained in a compact and orthogonal parallelepiped and organized around a courtyard which regulates passively indoor temperature and ventilation reducing consumes and economic dependencies.

The plot, located in a suburban neighborhood, has a rectangular area of 923.34 m2 bordered on the north-east by industrial buildings, on the northwest by Anselm Clavé street and on the south-east and south-west by green spaces and communal areas of a neighboring apartment building. The ground floor defines an interior passage that communicates the street and the park providing connectivity and integration between the two urban areas all the while dividing the space into two enclosed spaces for commercial and public use. Its shape follows the nature of its surroundings for better integration and its hard-based finishes facilitate accessibility and maintenance. In turn, the façades are defined by balconies that occupy the maximum surface allowed by local regulations, which limit their presence to the 50% of the façade.

By strictly following a fan-like shape, the project extends the exterior surface of the apartments to the maximum allowed, defining large outdoor spaces.

Text provided by the architects.

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Bar Nou

Jordi Costa — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 15:46:16 +0000

Architects: MAIO Photography: José Hevia Construction Period: 2015 Location: Barcelona, Spain

The refurbishment of the existing bar, located near the center of Barcelona, demanded the creation of a new and easily recognizable spatial identity. To that end, a new vaulted ceiling system has been cre- ated in order to provide domesticity while keeping a continuous perception of space. The ceiling vaults are extended up to the front line of the façade and intersect the windows and the walls in a free way. Thus, the encounter of the vaults with the preexistence is made visible through the windows, which render visible the section of the interior space and its domestic atmosphere. On the access facade the timber frame of the ceiling is shown in order to make clear its non structural nature and strengthen its scenographic nature.

Bar nou offers on its menu Pa amb tomaquet (bread with tomatoes), a typical catalan dish presented in a contemporary manner. According to this, one of the demands of the clients consisted in combining contemporary design with traditional approaches. Since its importance is capital for the bar’s identi- ty, a dj-booth looking altar devoted to its preparation has been designed and placed at the core of the space. There chefs play, as if they were the new dj’s, their role of pamtomaquers under a brand new vaulted scenography.

Besides the space, the project has also developed the design of the interior elements including furni- ture and lights. Both the chairs and tables introduce common materials in domestic tradition, such as cattail or mirrors. With regard to lighting, three complementary typologies have been designed. With urban scale in mind, the project uses figurative neon lights to emphasize its presence in a busy and crowded crossroad. Meanwhile, the interior suspended lamps consist of a pivoting metal tube arm that allows them to adapt to the changing position of the tables and in turn draws from outside a constel- lation of points in permanent modification. Additionally, three legged lamps provide a domestic and atmospherical light.

Text provided by the architects.

La entrada Bar Nou se publicó primero en Global Spaces.

Refurbishment of an old farm house

Jordi Costa — Mon, 15 May 2023 10:35:14 +0000

Architects: MAIO Photography: José Hevia Construction Period: 2008-2015 Location: Manacor, Spain

A nineteenth century farm house in the middle of Mallorca island rested abandoned for many years, almost in ruin. Due to the poor condition of the existing building the only thing that can be maintained are the structural walls, including the perimeter and the central one. The intervention consists of building within the void defined by the pre-existence keeping thus its exterior appearance.

In order to avoid structural reinforcements and an aggressive intervention, the entire interior is built with dry, lightweight materials, mainly wood panels. The new house, placed within the old house, is actually conceptualized as a large piece of furniture protected by the armor formed by the thick stone walls.

Four equal-sized rooms per floorplan located at the corners, allow the kitchen to be placed in the center of it, acting both as a dividing element and a connection between those spaces. A large skylight illuminates that central space.

Text provided by the architect.

La entrada Refurbishment of an old farm house se publicó primero en Global Spaces.