Honourable Mention International Prize, PERIS TORAL ARQUITECTES

RAW ROOMS - 43 Social Housing in Ibiza, Spain

Motivation of the jury. This building is a great example of architecture but also of how architecture should deal with the two main contemporary issues: the ecological crisis and social justice. 

The project is really well balanced and gives a clear answer to both issues through pure architectonical strategies.

The project presents a very interesting and radical typology that achieves flexibility based on the polyvalence of a grid of equal cells and the relations between them. It also provides a series of intermediate spaces for social interaction, not only for bioclimatic reasons. 

The construction is based on a system of bearing walls, using a low embodied energy material such as compressed earth blocks. These walls not only define the geometry of the space but also the comfort conditions thanks to their density, inertia and acoustic and hygrothermal attributes. 

The building’s behaviour is basically bioclimatic and does not require active systems. It is based on the performance of the atrium and courtyards, allowing solar gains in winter and being able to open when the external conditions are appropriate. In summer, natural ventilation and the inertia of the structure help to balance the whole system.

It is great to see how architecture can deal with contemporary challenges, being socially and ecologically responsible, by proposing good and sometimes extraordinary experiences for people.