Arseniy ValterArchitectureContact
IE University / Design Studio 92025 / Barcelona, Spain

Architecture for the Invisible

Housing, workspaces and community infrastructure beneath a shared roofscape at Estació del Nord.

Skylight interior / Architecture for the InvisibleView at full size
Skylight interior / Architecture for the Invisible

About the project

An academic proposal at Barcelona’s Estació del Nord, bringing housing, workspaces, community facilities and public ground into one architectural system. A shared roofscape, circular skylights and long openings connect the spaces below with the park above. Plans, structural studies and physical models develop the relationship between everyday support, occupation and light.

Location
Barcelona, Spain
Contribution
Architecture / Urban design / Representation
Context
Academic design proposal / IE University

The site and the people using it

I began with the paths around Estació del Nord and the gaps between the park, streets and existing buildings. The proposal brings housing together with places to work, learn, eat and meet. These studies connect the everyday needs of different residents with the spaces they could share.

Site photographs and a map of interrupted routes, barriers and underused ground.View at full size
01.01

Site photographs and a map of interrupted routes, barriers and underused ground.

Urban mapping: population movement and layers of access around the site.View at full size
01.02

Urban mapping: population movement and layers of access around the site.

Shared needs across the three groups considered in the brief: makers, settlers and restarters.View at full size
01.03

Shared needs across the three groups considered in the brief: makers, settlers and restarters.

Programme study linking housing and work with communal kitchens, learning and public space.View at full size
01.04

Programme study linking housing and work with communal kitchens, learning and public space.

A roof that becomes public ground

The roof joins the park to the spaces below. Openings, changes in level and a continuous route let the proposal respond to the existing site. The model and exploded drawing show how housing, public rooms and the roof sit together; the plans describe how people move between them.

Design operations: connect the paths, open the ground and vary the building height.View at full size
02.01

Design operations: connect the paths, open the ground and vary the building height.

Site anchors and the relationship between the roof, openings and ground below.View at full size
02.02

Site anchors and the relationship between the roof, openings and ground below.

The proposal within the existing park and street model.View at full size
02.03

The proposal within the existing park and street model.

Exploded axonometric separating the roof, inhabited levels and structural systems.View at full size
02.04

Exploded axonometric separating the roof, inhabited levels and structural systems.

Site-level plan with the roof openings and planted canopy.View at full size
02.05

Site-level plan with the roof openings and planted canopy.

Ground-floor plan: public rooms and circulation organised around circular openings.View at full size
02.06

Ground-floor plan: public rooms and circulation organised around circular openings.

Living above the shared spaces

The residential study moves from the arrangement of one floor to the whole building. Rooms, shared living areas and circulation repeat within a timber frame. The communal roof is another inhabited level, with a canopy developed from branching supports.

Residential floor plan showing the repeated rooms and shared spaces between them.View at full size
03.01

Residential floor plan showing the repeated rooms and shared spaces between them.

Living-unit axonometric showing rooms, kitchen and common living space.View at full size
03.02

Living-unit axonometric showing rooms, kitchen and common living space.

Building axonometric with residential floors, circulation and the open structural frame.View at full size
03.03

Building axonometric with residential floors, circulation and the open structural frame.

Communal rooftop and the development of the branching canopy.View at full size
03.04

Communal rooftop and the development of the branching canopy.

Sections, structure and daylight

The sections explain the relationship between the park, the lower public rooms and the housing above. I developed the long roof openings and circular skylights alongside the structure. The construction drawings follow these ideas down to the roof build-up, supports and internal circulation.

Cross-sections through the public spaces, housing and changing ground level.View at full size
04.01

Cross-sections through the public spaces, housing and changing ground level.

Longitudinal sections following the roof and the rooms beneath it.View at full size
04.02

Longitudinal sections following the roof and the rooms beneath it.

Timber housing structure and a detailed wall-and-floor section.View at full size
04.03

Timber housing structure and a detailed wall-and-floor section.

The sports-facility roof: long skylights, supporting beams and the planted roof section.View at full size
04.04

The sports-facility roof: long skylights, supporting beams and the planted roof section.

Sectional axonometric through the stair, upper walkway and circular skylights.View at full size
04.05

Sectional axonometric through the stair, upper walkway and circular skylights.

Light, atmosphere and the physical model

The final studies return to the experience of being inside and moving across the roof. The perspectives test the light from the openings; the physical model brings the surface, its perforations and the surrounding buildings into one view.

Interior studies of light from the linear skylights and a circular roof opening.View at full size
05.01

Interior studies of light from the linear skylights and a circular roof opening.

Physical model seen from above, showing the full pattern of roof openings.View at full size
05.02

Physical model seen from above, showing the full pattern of roof openings.

Oblique model photograph showing the roofscape and surrounding ground.View at full size
05.03

Oblique model photograph showing the roofscape and surrounding ground.

Interior perspective beneath the circular skylights and stepped gathering space.View at full size
05.04

Interior perspective beneath the circular skylights and stepped gathering space.

Scope & credits

Architecture, research & representation - Arseniy Valter

Academic design proposal / IE University