APROP Ciutat Vella.
Emergency Tactical Housing.

Architects: Straddle3, Eulia Arkitektura, Yaiza Terré
Collaborators: Vilo Projects, Ordeic, Societat Orgànica
Location: Nou de Sant Francesc 8, Barcelona
Building company: UTE Constècnia, Eurocatalana
Developer: Barcelona City Council, Social Rights Area.

Gentrification is cruel to the historical centres. Living in a walkable, diverse and equipped neighbourhood is becoming a highly coveted luxury. In addition to regulating the real estate market and mass tourism, democratising the access to housing in compact fabrics, it is necessary to multiply the affordable housing stock, whether public or cooperative. However, how to build housing in the consolidated centre, if it is the place where the available space is more expensive and scarce? With a kind of urban dentistry, with what we call Tactical Housing, such as the APROP and ATRI strategies (atri.city), cities are proposed to fill in the cavities of their built-up teeth. This involves vacant lots,
properties that have not fulfilled their buildability and even excessively large public spaces as places of opportunity to host residential units. Using modular prefabrication for the construction with the criteria of urban, ecological and social sustainability enables faster, economic, fair and sustainable
execution than conventional public housing promotions. This is the case of the first building designed and built in the Close Proximity Temporary Housing Program (APROP), promoted by the Barcelona City Council. Through these residential facilities, the municipality intends to temporarily relocate the residents in their own neighbourhood, who have suffered an eviction. Thanks to the use of recycled shipping containers, these modular buildings reduce their ecological footprint considerably.