Tendering for the construction of public housing in Glòries gets under way

Housing Glossary

You will find information here on all topics relating to housing in Barcelona

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Accrued interest

The interest applied as a penalisation when the debtor does not comply with repayment obligations. The amount must be established in the contract.

Active supermortgage

This allows the client to choose their loan's benchmark index (MIBOR at three months, six months or a year) so that payment can benefit from lower interest rates sooner.

Adaptable instalment

Characteristic of UCI superloans that allow the borrower to not pay one instalment a year for the first three years if there are problems due to holidays, extraordinary expenses, etc.

Advanced cancellation fee

A commission arising from the financial risk involved in the advanced cancellation of an operation. The applied commission compensates the financial institution for its financial losses.

AEDE

Direct state aid for paying the deposit on a property.

Affordable housing

Group of social housing or dwellings from social renovation projects that are sold or rented at below-market prices.

Affordable rent

The cost of renting these dwellings is below market prices after being included in operations concerning the rented flat pool, social renovation or social housing promotions.

Amortisation

Payment made to repay a loan.

Amortisation period

The duration of the loan. The contract establishes the date of the first and last payments. The longer the period, the lower the payments are, but the higher the interest. You therefore pay more in the end. The monthly instalment should not exceed 35% of your net income.

API

Estate agent. A qualified professional who acts as an intermediary between the two interested parties to facilitate the signing of a real estate contract, which can be a rental agreement, a sales agreement or another similar contract. They usually charge a percentage of the sales price as compensation or commission.

Applicant

A citizen who makes a registration application to the Barcelona Social Housing Applicants Registry, and who represents the other members of the dwelling unit included in the application.

APR

Annual Equivalent Rate. Effective annual cost of the mortgage in terms of interest, commissions and the repayment period. To compare loans, it is not enough to just look at the lowest APR, you also have to compare the conditions, the repayment period and the distribution of instalment payments.

Arbitri municipal de plusvàlua

Former denomination of the capital gains tax on landed property.

Assessment

The value of a dwelling certified by a specialised assessment company, in accordance with the mortgage market law. This certificate not only indicates the real value of the property, it also serves as a reference for obtaining the necessary financing.

Authorisation

Document in which the owner authorises the tenant to carry out building work in the dwelling's interior.

Housing. The development will consist of a set of four blocks, with 238 homes.

The tendering process is under way for the construction of the new public housing block in Glories. The development consists of a set of four blocks, with 238 homes in all. The project is valued at 41.6 million euros and is expected to be awarded in around six months, enabling work to begin in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The site in question is the block delimited by Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, Plaça de les Glòries and Carrer dels Encants Vells, giving onto the large Canòpia Urbana park on one side and the Mercat dels Encants on the other.

The public housing project is the biggest by the Barcelona Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation (IMHAB) and the largest to be promoted by a city council in the whole country in recent years, second only to a project by the autonomous regional government in the Basque country.

The development will have 238 homes, 125 of them with protected rents and 113 with leaseholds. The flats are intended to provide housing for over 800 people:

128 three-bedroom homes
97 two-bedroom homes
13 one-bedroom homes

All the homes will be built taking into account the gender perspective: any spatial hierarchy will disappear, making way for spaces adapted to new family models and shared living. Kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms will get the same natural light and ventilation as the main areas, such as living rooms and bedrooms.

The project consists of four blocks of different heights, linked by three upper floors of housing and leaving an open space on the ground floor for the extension of a pedestrian route from Av. Diagonal to Els Encants. The block will also have two courtyards for local residents, which could be conditioned as leisure areas, spaces for children’s games, bike parking or other uses.

The project also stands out for its environmental strategy, which cuts the impact of the project through the use of a wooden structure for one of the blocks and passive measures to help meet the energy demands for heating and cooling the buildings. The blocks will also have green rooftops, mechanisms for recycling wastewater and solar panelling on the rooftop to generate renewable energy.

The following architects and studios have worked with the IMHAB to finalise the executive project:

Cierto Estudio, formed by the young architects Marta Benedicto, Carlota de Gispert, Ivet Gasol, Anna Llonch, Lucía Millet and Clara Vidal, and by Franch Llonch
The joint venture by Haz Arquitectes SLP, Bayona Valero Arquitectes Associats SLP, Cantallops Vicente Arquitectes and Ensenyat Tarrida Arquitectes SLP
The joint venture by Pau Vidal and Estudio Vivas Arquitectes SCP
SV60 Arquitectos