‘Radical’ Social Housing in Barcelona Wins RIBA International Prize
John Hill
29. novembre 2024
Photo © José Hevia (All images courtesy of RIBA)
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Modulus Matrix: 85 Social Housing in Cornellà, Barcelona, designed by Peris + Toral Arquitectes is the winner of the 2024 RIBA International Prize.
The November 27 announcement of the winner of the biennial prize comes just a few weeks after three finalists were selected from the nearly two-dozen winners of the 2024 International Awards for Excellence. Modulus Matrix: 85 Social Housing in Cornellà, Barcelona, Spain, by Peris + Toral Arquitectes beat out Jacoby Studios in Paderborn, Germany, by David Chipperfield Architects Berlin, and the Lianzhou Museum of Photography in Lianzhou, China, by O-office Architects.
Photo © José Hevia
Modulus Matrix is a new building in Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona, that consists of 85 social housing units spread across five levels. As designed by Peris + Toral Arquitectes for IMPSOL (the Metropolitan Institute of Land Development and Property Management), the building's 85 dwelling are arranged around a courtyard, with vertical circulation cores at each corner. Galleries face the courtyard on each level, while private balconies wrap the perimeter facades.
Photos © José Hevia
While the courtyard, circulation, and galleries foster community among the residents of the 85 dwellings, the most novel — “radical” per RIBA's announcement — aspect of the project is the layout of the units. Architect Marta Peris was inspired by the films of Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu and adopted a tatami mat module (3.6m square) for each room. Eliminating corridors within the unit plans, the square rooms are connected via enfilade-like openings. All of the 85 apartments — 18 2- or 3-bedroom units per floor — have cross ventilation and dual orientation.
Drawing: Peris + Toral Arquitectes
“Through this innovative approach to social housing, Peris + Toral Arquitectes has responded to the shifting demands of societal groupings by crafting a housing project that is adaptive, inclusive and sustainable. Not defined by stereotypes or fixed assumptions of what constitutes ‘family,’ the intelligent organization of space encourages lively interaction and connection within the community, ensuring that the architecture functions on different scales — from the discrete dwelling to the collective space. This building has set a precedent for future developments in Barcelona and beyond and is a worthy winner of the RIBA International Prize 2024.”
Photos © José Hevia
*The Grand Jury for the 2024 RIBA International Prize:- Lu Wenyu (chair), co-founder of Amateur Architecture Studio
- Tosin Oshinowo, founder and principal of Oshinowo Studio and curator of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023
- Paola Antonelli, senior curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art.
Drawing: Peris + Toral Arquitectes
This year's award is the fourth for the RIBA International Prize, which was established in 2016 to replace the RIBA Lubetkin Prize and be "open to all qualified architects anywhere in the world," not just British architects. The aim is to recognize “a building that demonstrates visionary thinking, originality, excellence of execution, and makes a distinct contribution to its users, surrounding environment and communities.” The inaugural prize, given in 2016, went to UTEC (Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología) in Peru by Grafton Architects; the second prize, in 2018, was given to Children Village in Brazil by Aleph Zero and Rosenbaum; and the third, given in 2021, was the Friendship Hospital in Bangladesh by Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA.
