Social Housing 1737 by HARQUITECTES: Innovative Residential Design in Gavà, Spain

Social Housing 1737 by HARQUITECTES is a forward-thinking residential complex that seamlessly integrates urban living with Gavà’s natural landscape. Positioned between the Serra de les Ferreres zone and the Llobregat Agricultural Park, the project prioritizes biological and recreational continuity, linking the built environment with surrounding green spaces. The design incorporates longitudinal circulation complemented by new transversal pathways, ensuring safe and accessible movement throughout the complex.

Architectural Design and Volumetrics

The staggered arrangement of the buildings follows the natural slope of the plot, creating dynamic outdoor spaces while avoiding potentially unsafe dead zones. Each building opens its interior corners to maximize light, air circulation, and interaction with the environment. By using an additive system, the project enhances relationships between the dwellings and their scenic surroundings, with all rooms oriented outward to capture panoramic views and natural light.

Sustainable Landscaping and Materials

The entire parking area is positioned beneath the building footprint, freeing ground space for a landscaped garden with native shrubs, almonds, carob, and olive trees. Minimal paving is applied only to access paths, while the rest of the terrain supports water drainage and natural vegetation growth. Concrete, wood, and greenery create a harmonious material palette, blending the built form with its surroundings.

Spatial Organization and Apartment Typologies

Social Housing 1737 comprises 136 apartments organized around a cloister-like central atrium. This atrium houses circulation cores, stairwells, and services, providing generous cross-ventilation and natural light to every residence. Each apartment is composed of identical 10.6 m² modular units, adaptable for living rooms, kitchens, or bedrooms, complemented by continuous balconies and glazed corridors that act as transitional spaces. Ground-floor apartments adopt a denser, more conventional layout, maintaining a balance between privacy and communal accessibility.

Structural Innovation

The complex employs a hybrid system of concrete slabs, screens, and slim structural pillars, enabling short, efficient spans while maintaining spatial clarity and flexibility within each dwelling. This structural approach supports modular living while enhancing comfort, ventilation, and light penetration throughout the apartments.

All Photographs are works of Adrià Goula