El Prat care home, Barcelona,
Spain, 2021

This competition entry sought to sensitively promote an atmosphere of home and feeling of togetherness for the residents of a new-build care home in the Barcelona municipality of El Prat de Llobregat. At its heart it recognises that emotional wellbeing and a sense of belonging offered by small-scale, collective living, is invaluable to older adults.

Circulation patterns through the building are designed to be adaptable between night and day. At night, carers have unobstructed access across the site. The experience in the day is of distinct households: clusters of 14 rooms, each with its own front door, cloakroom, and a verdant internal courtyard.

The four courtyards that punctuate the plan are filled with flowering, scented plants which both invigorate the senses and provide an ever-changing outlook. An open sided timber loggia lines each garden and ensures that rooms on all floors access and enjoy its benefits.