Centre Obert d’Arquitectura
- Refurbishment
- Cultural and religious
- Sustainability
- Heritage
The Centre Obert d’Arquitectura brings together all the cultural activity of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia. Its facilities are located at the COAC headquarters in the centre of Barcelona, a landmark building listed as a heritage asset, which underwent a major refurbishment between 2021 and 2022 to adapt it to the new needs of the institution’s cultural programme.
The refurbishment project focused on the public areas of the COAC headquarters, intended for the activities of the Centre Obert. The main objective was to optimise the different uses of these spaces, improving accessibility, functionality and sustainability.
The project included the enhancement of the building’s ground floor as an open and participatory space for the public; the incorporation of a panoramic lift to improve accessibility; the renewal of building services to ensure greater environmental comfort and energy efficiency; and a respectful intervention that highlighted facilities originally designed in the late 1950s.
- Year: 2021-2022
- Duration (months): 24
- Location: Plaça Nova 5, Barcelona
- Surface area (m2): 4.082
- Developer: Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC)
- Architecture: Peris+Toral Arquitectes
- Photography: José Hevia
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Improving environmental comfort
Renewal of building services to improve environmental comfort for users, while also monitoring and making energy consumption more sustainable.
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Enhancing heritage value
A respectful refurbishment of the original building, one of the few examples of modern architecture in Barcelona, designed by architect Xavier Busquets and inaugurated in 1962.
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Opening new public spaces and improving accessibility
Through a major intervention in the first-floor slabs, the roof above the auditorium was made accessible, becoming a terrace with impressive views of the cathedral. Likewise, full accessibility to all ground-floor exhibition spaces was achieved through the installation of a panoramic lift.
A COAC open to the public
- Enhancing the ground floor as an open and participatory space, and making the previously unusable second‑floor terrace accessible, creating a viewpoint overlooking the cathedral and Barcelona’s Roman wall.
A more sustainable building
- The project is based on sustainability criteria, including optimised climate control with a four-pipe heat pump system and the incorporation of an energy-efficient ventilation system. Lighting improvements were also implemented to achieve more efficient energy management and reduce the building’s overall consumption.
Preserving the built heritage
- The team was made up of highly specialised professionals in heritage refurbishment and cultural facility architecture.
