Llubí day centre and public library
Llubí, Spain
2024
Competition, shortlisted
Co-author: Carme de Cara Nadal
Images: Studio Sensitive
The project consists in refurbishing and adapting the nineteenth century Ca Ses Monges convent into an elderly centre, a library, and a youth centre. The proposal strives to avoid new constructions and to re-use the existing building as much as possible. The required new additions integrate with the original architecture, maintaining their own logic while continuing the language of the original building.
One of the main challenges of the project is to improve the building’s relationship with the town. A semi-exterior entrance porch leads to a central circulation space that connects the building horizontally and vertically, between the different parts of the program and the large garden at the rear of the plot. The design prioritises accessibility by eliminating level changes and ensuring that all users can use the building’s spaces in an equitable way.
Going beyond the established program, the design is centred on the architecture itself and the creation of a series of functional and interconnected spaces. The proposal aims to offer a container that can be durable in the long term, capable of changing its function in the future if necessary. This would not only reduce the complexity and cost of potential future refurbishments but also contribute to the reduction of the CO2 emissions and minimising the need for construction and demolition. In this way, a functional, durable, and permanent container will always be the most sustainable.
