The future of social housing and its relationship with public space

The SFJ6 project explores new ways of thinking about 102 social housing units after the pandemic, focusing on well-being within interior spaces as well as the quality of the urban environment, rethinking the public-private space and its contact zones.

What should housing be like today?

We approach housing from a holistic perspective: it must meet the needs of its inhabitants as well as those of its surrounding environment, whether it’s a building, a neighbourhood, or a city. It is crucial both on a small and large scale, as it aims to improve people’s quality of life in all dimensions. Housing must have quality spaces, well-lit and visually connected to the surroundings through appropriate openings. Given that most homes are not very large, this is a way to spatially expand them. Whenever possible, homes should have outdoor spaces, especially in a context where cities are becoming more people-friendly. Social relationships are fundamental; housing should foster a sense of community and social interaction. Additionally, it must be environmentally friendly, incorporating both passive and active strategies to reduce energy consumption and minimise its environmental impact.

How did you approach the relationship with the city in the SFJ6 project?

In the SFJ6 project, we started by working from the city’s scale. Even though it is a large building, we aimed for a more approachable scale that would harmoniously integrate into its surroundings. The building itself generates urban diversity, enriching the context. In the design of the homes, we prioritised spatial quality: all are cross-ventilated, with the more public areas facing outwards and the private areas mostly oriented towards the interior courtyards. Despite being social housing, thanks to the large openings, we’ve achieved a sense that the interior spaces feel more spacious than they actually are. All homes have outdoor spaces, whether it’s an open terrace, a balcony-terrace, or a living room space with a railing that, when opened, becomes a large balcony. The common areas of the building are also designed to encourage social interaction, with areas where vegetation and carefully selected materials fulfil a bioclimatic function, creating pleasant spaces to spend time in.

What aspects do you consider fundamental in your architecture?

From the start, we asked ourselves what makes certain cities, streets, buildings, or homes feel better compared to others. Our conclusion was that the human scale is a key factor in this perception, and it’s a concept we always apply to our projects. We aim to give our architecture a human scale, avoiding disproportionate or disconnected designs. It’s especially important to us that buildings, particularly their ground floors, maintain a friendly relationship with the city, enriching the pedestrian experience.

Another important concept is the value of outdoor space in housing, a need that the pandemic has clearly highlighted, and one we have always advocated for. The most effective tool for promoting this inclusion is urban planning regulations, although in many cases, regulations penalise these spaces. In such instances, we have resorted to various strategies, such as the careful design of openings, to give homes a sense of outdoor space, even if they don’t have it in the conventional sense.

We also pay special attention to the emotional atmosphere of common areas. We are interested in materialising them in a way that makes people feel comfortable, so they are not just transit areas where inactivity leads to alienation. On the contrary, we seek to make these spaces encourage social contact and strengthen the sense of community.

Why do you think you’ve been awarded? What are these awards about?

The greatest award we’ve received is the opportunity to bring our ideas to life through the various projects we’ve won in design competitions. Subsequently, many of these buildings have been recognised with awards for the completed work, which is very meaningful to us. This recognition demonstrates that our proposals were not only valuable in theory, but they also worked when brought to practice.