Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation (IMHAB), is launching the construction of two public housing blocks in the Trinitat Vella prison area, in the Sant Andreu district. The construction job, which has been waited for decades by the neighbourhood, will enable the families living in the buildings affected by the urban renewal of the area to be rehoused. The symbolic laying of the first stone, which took place on Wednesday the 5th of October, and was led by the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, formalized the start of the first phase, which consists of 41 residences.
At the initial part of the process, the forty properties will be destined to rehouse resident families currently living in buildings in the surrounding area in precarious conditions of habitability. The project for this first block, under the leadership of TACO Arquitectos, will consist of a second phase, which will be able to be started once the prison is completely demolished, and will include 35 dwellings. Even so, the project for the second block, drawn up by Mipmarí Arquitectura y Disseny and the Estudio Álvarez-Sala, will be launched in the coming months and will consist of 53 more residences.
The end of a historic debt
The Trinitat Vella project, with a total of 129 homes planned, corrects a historical grievance for the residents of the neighbourhood and is possible thanks to the resumption of the transfer of the old Wad-Ras and Trinitat Vella prisons to the Zona Franca. The Trinitat prison, inaugurated in 1964, has been adapted to various uses throughout its history until it was partially demolished in 2009.
The development of public housing around the prison can be added to the other actions that have been carried out in this neighbourhood, such as the renovation of the Trinitat Vella square and Galicia’s Street, the creation of the Plaça dels Infants, the improvement of the Trinidad Vella CEM and the project for the new community life centre.
At the ceremony, the mayor of the city, Ada Colau, emphasized the City Council’s historical debt to this neighbourhood and highlighted all the obstacles that had to be overcome for the project to be a reality finally.
The alderwoman for Housing and Renovation of Barcelona City Council, Lucía Martín, sent a message of gratitude to the residents for their patience and persistence over so many years of struggle for a common goal, as well as to all the authorities who have made it possible.
In essence, the construction of these blocks is a further step in Barcelona City Council’s commitment to expanding the stock of affordable housing on public land, which aims to reach all parts of the city.