This residential block is located in the heart of Raval, a neighborhood within Barcelona’s old town. Its cultural diversity is among its main assets. In this context, the refurbishment project launched by the Institut Municipal de l’Habitatge de Barcelona (IMHAB) and developed by MiAS arquitectes is a meticulously executed intervention where architectural memory is interwoven with respect for the identity of the community.

The original building, with a facade on Calle Hospital, had an independent entrance for several residential floors and a ground-level retail space. An L-shaped volume was added over time, forming an inner courtyard. But intensive use of the building led to the dwellings getting subdivided, and informal additions were made, blurring the initial structure. The revamp involved carefully removing them and restoring the original arrangement of spaces: two homes per floor in the main volume, and three in the adjacent one. Existing stairwells were preserved, and elevators were installed in both volumes, considerably improving overall accessibility.

One thrust of the project was the recovery of spatial quality through light and ventilation. Vertical courtyards that had been closed were reopened, and there are new windows and balconies facing the central court, not to mention visual and functional connections between circulation areas, staircases, and elevators.

The central courtyard becomes the symbolic heart of the intervention. An exterior space – renovated, open, and bright – that all the subsidized units give onto. It reflects the diversity of the origins of residents returning to the building after its revamp. The ceramic pieces designed by Carlos Jiménez Cenamor – an architect and a ceramist (DelAmorYlaBelleza) – recall textile motifs, patterns, and colors from different cultures. The courtyard thus becomes a canvas telling the life stories of the residents and expressing their feelings of belonging to their communities.