Rubí Market and Town Hall Offices in Barcelona, Spain by MiAS Architects

Article source: MiAS Architects

Rubí local market is in a central urban position. It is in a triangular plot, which gives the market the same shape. In the northern side, before the intervention, there was an excavated unbuilt and residual space which was not used. The project proposes building an underground two-storeyed parking, connected to the existing one. Over the new parking, the enlargement of the market is built.

Night View (Image Courtesy Adrià Goula)

• Architects: Josep Miàs – MiAS Architect
• Project: Rubí Market and Town Hall Offices
• Location: Barcelona, Spain
• Type: market (refurbishment), offices, public space and parking (new building)
• Project leader: Silvia Brandi
• Project team: Adriana Porta, Maria Chiara Zilliani, Pablo Varesi, Fausto Raposo, Mafalda Batista, Barbara Fachada, Baptiste Marconnet

Interior View (Image Courtesy Adrià Goula)

• Completion date: 2011
• Client: Public – Rubí Town Hall
• Size: 1600 m² (offices), 5600 m² (parking), 2500 m² (public space)
• Budget: <4M €
• Technical Architect: Carles Bou
• Photographer: Adrià Goula

Interior View (Image Courtesy Adrià Goula)

The project includes the refurbishment of the lower floors in order to integrate them into the parking, installing refrigerators and waste processors.

This new square, over the underground parking, will be the new outdoors hall of the market. Its geometry tries to make the slope walkable and suitable as a public space. In addition, it is an extension of the commercial activities inside the market, giving enough space for fairs and occasional outdoor commercial events.

Exterior View (Image Courtesy Adrià Goula)

With this project the market changes its orientation, having the main entrance in the square. So then, this extension is almost like a façade-building, with new city hall and market administration offices, which lies on the northern side of the plot. This building, then, occupies the frontal area, growing higher than the existing market so that it becomes something like a three level placard. In the ground floor, the building has commercial spaces related to the existent market activity, and the main access to the market and to the underground parking.

Diagram

“In fact, projects have always a secret thinking or a hidden beginning which allows thinking about the place and working in it… and this is something which is normally not explained. They are personal interests, certain ideas that were born in an intense work moment, which happen to be important for the logical development of the project.

We have built a sort of urban beach, where people would lie and sunbathe, wander, play… It is a new topography made of sand and pavement that landmark a water building, something like a wavy front. This is a transparent blue building, where foam is still shining. It is almost a marine landscape, made of blue and grey, like the roof of the market, where water would be the main character too…”

Tags: Barcelona, Spain

Categories: City Center, Offices

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