Marta Domènech-Rodríguez

This article presents a diagnostic study on the characterization of community and walkable rooftops in Barcelona’s historic district. The study aims to evaluate the potential for efficient improvement solutions that align with contemporary regulations for safety, accessibility, and energy efficiency. It is part of the REVTER project, which seeks to recover flat roofs as non-public collective areas in densely populated environments. The research emphasizes the importance of understanding the technical aspects of these rooftops before interventions, focusing on construction and performance to establish guidelines for future improvements. The methodology includes cartographies, on-site inspections, and performance evaluations, aiming to create a district-level overview, characterize roofing solutions chronologically, assess current technical performance, and identify deficiencies to develop intervention guidelines. Key findings highlight the evolution of construction practices across three distinct periods, revealing significant shifts in materials and techniques. The research underscores the necessity of data-driven technical characterization and proposes a systematic approach for evaluating historic architectural spaces. By selecting a broad study sample and using a GIS approach, the study sets a precedent for understanding and improving the technical characteristics of urban rooftops, contributing significantly to sustainable urban development and heritage conservation within Ciutat Vella.

This research addresses urban inequality by focusing on the rehabilitation of communal rooftops in Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, the city’s historic district, where residential vulnerability is concentrated in a particularly dense heritage urban environment with a shortage of outdoor spaces. Using participatory methodologies, this research develops low-cost, removable, and recyclable prototypes aimed at improving social interaction, technical performance, and environmental conditions. The focus is on vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly. The approach integrates a bottom–up process and scalable solutions presented as a Toolkit of micro-projects. These micro-projects are designed to improve issues related to health, safety, durability, accessibility, energy savings, and acoustics. In addition, several possible material solutions for micro-projects are examined in terms of sustainability and cost. These plug-in interventions are designed for adaptability and replication throughout similar urban contexts and can significantly improve the quality of life for people, especially the elderly, in dense historic environments.

El presente artículo plantea una reflexión en torno al legado arquitectónico residencial en Europa posterior a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, a través del estudio de la rehabilitación del edificio DeFlat Kleiburg, ubicado en el barrio Bijlmermeer de Ámsterdam (2017). En particular, se propone una revisión crítica sobre la obsolescencia de las grandes actuaciones residenciales modernas concebidas como respuesta a la necesidad de provisión masiva de vivienda en el período de posguerra, así como sobre las estrategias y motivaciones contemporáneas para su rehabilitación. El texto profundiza en el estudio de los debates y prácticas que entienden el entorno habitado como un componente crucial del patrimonio construido, subrayando la necesidad de preservar los conjuntos residenciales como instrumento para fortalecer la cohesión social. Asimismo, se analiza en detalle la transformación llevada a cabo en Kleiburg, basada en una estrategia de rehabilitación interior orientada a salvaguardar la composición, los acabados y la estructura original, al tiempo que promueve la flexibilidad funcional y la diversificación tipológica y de usos.

This article introduces a methodology for a novel data-driven computational model aimed at aiding public administrations in managing and evaluating the adaptative reuse of buildings while tackling ecological and digital challenges. Drawing from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the study underscores the significance of innovative approaches in harnessing the economic potential of data. Focusing on Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district, the research selects five historic public buildings for analysis, strategically positioned to spur local entrepreneurship and counteract tourism dominance. Through an extensive literature review, the article identifies a gap in computational models for building adaptative reuse and proposes a methodological framework that integrates data collection, processing, and computational modelling, underscored by GIS technology and open data sources. The proposed methodology for a computational algorithm aims to systematise spatial characteristics, assess programmatic needs, and optimise building usage, while addressing challenges such as data integration and quality assurance. Ultimately, the research presents a pioneering approach to building adaptative reuse, aimed at fostering sustainable urban development and offering replicable insights applicable to similar challenges in other cities.

This article examines the involvement of Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza in the reconstruction of West Berlin, specifically in the project of the Bonjour Tristesse block in the Kreuzberg neighborhood between 1982 and 1988. The study investigates the urban and social context of the time, marked by post-war tensions and neighborhood mobilizations, which influenced the direction of the International Building Exhibition IBA '84. It highlights how Siza had to mediate between various political and economic forces while addressing the challenges of maintaining the identity and social cohesion of the area. The study methodology includes a documentary analysis of the projects and correspondence between the stakeholders involved. The conclusions underline the relevance of Siza’s work, both for his sensitive approach to the urban environment and his ability to adapt to the project’s complexities without losing an architectural strategy. Este artículo analiza la participación del arquitecto portugués Álvaro Siza en la reconstrucción del Berlín occidental, específicamente en el proyecto de la manzana de la conocida esquina Bonjour Tristesse en el barrio de Kreuzberg entre 1982 y 1988. El estudio investiga el contexto urbano y social de la época, marcado por las tensiones de la posguerra y las movilizaciones vecinales, que influenciaron la dirección de la Exposición Internacional de Arquitectura IBA '84-87. Se destaca cómo Siza tuvo que mediar entre diversas fuerzas políticas y económicas, además de enfrentarse a los desafíos de mantener la identidad y cohesión social del área. La metodología del estudio incluye un análisis documental de los proyectos y la correspondencia entre los actores involucrados. Las conclusiones resaltan la relevancia de la obra de Siza, tanto por su enfoque sensible hacia el entorno urbano como por su capacidad para adaptarse a las complejidades del proyecto sin perder estrategia arquitectónica.

The complex structural behaviour of masonry, with its brittle response in tension, frictional response in shear, and anisotropy, makes it challenging to model accurately. Tile vaults, with their unique features such as different binders and bricks placed flat, have distinctive structural performance, and determining the most suitable assessment method is still a subject of debate in both academic and professional circles. This paper presents a study on the structural analysis of tile vaults, aiming at evaluating different numerical approaches for this type of structure. The examination of these approaches and their effectiveness in capturing the structural behaviour of tile vaults intends to offer valuable insights to researchers and professionals in this field. Experimental research was initially carried out in order to provide data for the calibration of the structural models. Two full-scale vaults were tested. Furthermore, several material characterization tests were also performed. The numerical assessment was carried out through limit analysis and non-linear static analysis with numerical models based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). Two FEM models were prepared using different modelling approaches for masonry, namely the macro-modelling and the simplified micro-modelling approaches. The results of the limit analysis presented a load capacity significantly lower than the ultimate load obtained from the experimental tests. The calibrated FEM models presented good results in comparison to the experimental results, namely in terms of damage pattern and load capacity.

Information about the paper titled "INTUITION AND EXPERIMENTATION AS TEACHING TOOLS: PHYSICAL AND INTERACTIVE COMPUTATIONAL MODELS" at IATED Digital Library

Esta comunicación se propone mostrar y poner a debate la experiencia de los talleres de experimentación basados en metodologías de aprendizaje conocidas como “learning by building”. Se analiza la experiencia de los propios autores a través de un taller en el Instituto de Arquitectura Avanzada de Catallunya en el que a través de la construcción de una estructura abovedada de forma libre con la técnica tradicional de la bóveda tabicada, se integran el ámbito de los proyectos arquitectónicos y el ámbito de la tecnología de la arquitectura, especialmente en las ramas de las estructuras y la construcción, juntamente con las nuevas herramientas de diseño computacional. This communication aims to show and debate the experience of the experimentation workshops based on learning methodologies known as . The experience of the authors themselves is analyzed through a workshop at the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catallunya. Through the construction of a free-form thin tile vaulted structure, this workshop integrates strategies from the architectural design and the knowledge of the technology of architecture, especially in the field of structures and construction, together with new computational design tools.