‘Terraces for Life’ was the scheme that won the bid for 40 social housing units promoted by the Institut Municipal de l’Habitatge of Barcelona (IMHAB) at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this project in the Sant Martí district, in the Verneda i La Pau neighborhood, the competition jury gave special importance to quick execution and ecological solutions as a response to the current housing and climate crises.

The eight-floor building presents an industrialized structure of cross-laminated timber (CLT) on a concrete base, a solution which allows for quick, efficient, and sustainable construction.

It is organized around a central community patio, ensuring natural light and cross ventilation. All the homes have a piece of the outer facade and the benefit of cantilevered terraces, the generous dimensions of which vary strategicaly to make the facade dynamic. To comply with fire-protection codes, all ceilings and indoor walls are clad in plasterboard, exposing wood only in the terraces,

A greenhouse on the roof makes it possible to produce food and energy within the confines of the building. This space is equipped with a system for planting in trays up to 6 meters tall, centralized irrigation, and LED lights. The enclosure of the greenhouse, rising more than 8 meters, is built with wood and features a semi-transparent photovoltaic surface. This generates the energy necessary for the building’s communal areas, as well as for the greenhouse’s lighting system.