The project of affordable homes for young people constructed in the industrial buildings of the Fabra i Coats complex in the Sant Andreu del Palomar district has been recognised with the 2020 AVS Prize awarded by the Spanish Association of Public Housing and Land Managers in acknowledgement of the best practices in new construction, management of social housing, environmental management, rehabilitation and public services.
Can Fabra has been recognised in the category of Best New Building for the project of transformation of the industrial building into a complex of social homes, and also for the capacity of conserving the industrial heritage of this old factory, built in 1905 and enlarged in 1923 and 1950. Can Fabra now houses 44 homes addressed to young people aged between 18 and 35, with an average floor area of 64 square metres. It is Barcelona’s first public rental homes building constructed in an industrial complex, maintaining its exterior structure and observing criteria of sustainability and energy efficiency. “This is an action that unites industrial heritage, social housing and cultural centre: an excellent example of how to treat the heritage without limiting ourselves to a mere exercise of conservation”, the designers explained on receiving the prize.
The prize was announced today, Friday, within the framework of the Seville Social Housing Days. These awards have been presented since 2013 and this year some thirty projects have been selected originating from all over Spain. Apart from Can Fabra, prizes have also been awarded to the public rental homes project in Muros de Nalón (VIPASA, Department of Social Rights and Welfare of the Principality of Asturias); the public homes project of Son Gotleu (IBAVI, Balearic Housing Institute), the Housing First Asturias project (Housing Board of the Principality of Asturias); Plan Zero Plana – High efficiency in rental homes (ALOKABIDE, Housing Board of the Basque Government); the integral rehabilitation strategy in the Los Pajaritos district of Seville (EMVISESA, Municipal Housing, Land and Equipment Company of Seville); Orain Otxar (Municipal Homes of Bilbao); and 65 protected homes in Mulitate, Hondarribia (VISESA, Vivenda y Suelo de Euskadi). An extraordinary recognition has also been awarded to the Housing and Rehabilitation Agency of Andalusia.
A new recognition for Can Fabra
With this prize, the homes designed by the Roldán Berengué Arquitectes firm and promoted by the Barcelona Municipal Housing and Rehabilitation Institute add one more recognition to their collection. Apart from this AVS Prize, this year 2021 Can Fabra has received the 2021 FAD Architecture Prize and the first prize for multi-family housing at the AIT Awards. In addition, last year they received the 2020 Advanced Architecture Awards and the 2020 Mapei Prize.