Project for the rehabilitation and adaptation of the El Far de la Barceloneta building as the headquarters of the new social economy offices of Barcelona Activa. The architectural project was specific to the comprehensive rehabilitation of two of the three upper floors of the building, occupied by the El Far and Barcelona Activa consortium, including the adaptation of the stairs and evacuation routes, the installation and fire safety systems, the interior finishes and also part of the ground floor to develop a new access. The urbanization of the previous public space (Pla de Miquel Taradell) and the rear area (Carrer de l’Escar) was also considered, changing the direction of the current access. The objective of the adaptation was to adapt the building to current regulations on activities and construction and improve its operation and general features. The developer wanted to offer citizens a truly functional headquarters and bring together the different sections of the social economy currently spread across different buildings in the city, taking advantage of the high urban and representative value of the location.
The two office floors are distributed freely, creating an open and spacious workspace, with views to both opposite facades of the block. The closed interior program has been reserved for a system of birch-clad receptacles that contain meeting rooms on the first floors and an informative, mobile and deployable showcase on the ground floor that would allow the public space of the Miquel Taradell plan to be occupied on an occasional basis.
The renovation of the facilities included a completely visible renovated air conditioning and ventilation system, expanding the useful height and spatial amplitude of the floors. To reduce energy demand, the renovation of the original carpentry and a new floor finish were proposed, with built-in insulation that allows the office floors to be energy independent. Photovoltaic panels were also planned in a second phase of the project to complement the electricity generation.
The rehabilitation project has paid special attention to the maritime past, both of the building, which is located on the urban front of Port Vell, and of the El Far consortium itself. The old decoration of ship models, plans and other documentation was incorporated and relocated to the entrance and distributors in special showcases, as a testament to the maritime past of the institution.
