Current Status

Initial building selection

After having contacted neighbourhood associations, we make an initial selection of buildings. We begin this process by visiting buildings to identify damages, shortcomings and needs. We identify five key spaces shared by all buildings that can serve as clear opportunities for new synergies: rooftops, stairwells, entryways, lightwells and balconies.   

Rooves

Although rooftops are the most privileged common spaces in the Raval, they are often in conditions that do not encourage neighbours to meet and linger. Nevertheless, they do provide an opportunity to generate gathering spaces for members of the community.

Buildings in the Raval often have flat rooves.

However, these rooves are often full of antennas and other telecommunications devices, many of which are no longer used.

Nevertheless, some of the rooves visited already showed signs of shared use, with chairs, barbecues or small gardens.

Interventions in these rooftops will be key to providing shared spaces for neighbours.

The narrow dimensions of the stairwells in most buildings in the Raval often lead to spaces with insufficient ventilation, poor illumination, humidity issues, and even unhealthy conditions. Furthermore, the general lack of lifts worsens the lack of security and accessibility.

Drawings: Isaac Colin

The lack of natural illumination and ventilation as well as the damages caused by wear over the years often make accessibility more difficult.

Problems like worn steps, a lack of resting places for the elderly or railings in poor condition affect users’ quality of life, even endangering their health and security.

As we have already noted, a general lack of space leads to extremely small entranceways with poor lighting and ventilation. These dark, unpleasant spaces are often seen as dangerous.

Dibujos: Isaac Colin

Often, these entranceways are unpleasant. The use of opaque or translucid doors, insufficient lighting and narrow dimensions mean that many entranceways in the Raval are spaces that the community does not appreciate, and where neighbours feel neither safe nor comfortable.

As a result of different interventions and repairs over time, the transom windows over doors have often been closed up, reducing necessary ventilation and increasing the humidity indoors. 
This often leads to damage caused by excess humidity in entranceways: mould, salt deposition, damaged siding... this can even provoke more serious health problems.