The Illa Glòries is distributed into four blocks and has 238 officially protected homes in different categories: 72 with affordable rents, 16 with social rents and 13 with leaseholds. The rest have been assigned to people affected by urban expropriations and the Emergency Board.

The development is promoted by the Barcelona Municipal Institute for Housing and Renovation (IMHAB) and entailed an investment of 44 million euros, with a subsidy of more than 2.6 million euros from the Ministry for Housing and Urban Agenda.

Public housing with different formulas

The 67 homes in Block C have been awarded with leaseholds, a formula that allows applicants to have a home for 75 years through a public deed similar to a purchase. After that time, the homes become municipally owned again and the idea is for them to be used for public rents.

The flats with affordable rents, as is usual with all public promotions, have been assigned to people under 35, to local people, to single-parent families and to people with reduced mobility. The rents are between 503 and 727 euros a month, depending on the floor space of the home.

Community spaces and sustainable criteria

The development is located between the grid plan of L’Eixample and the Parc de la Canòpia Urbana, in Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes. The building is distributed into two large units with three floors and includes a pedestrian walkway between Av. Diagonal and the Mercat dels Encants.

Large communal yards have been created in the inner section for use by local residents, with access to the homes and acting as spaces for interaction and creating community. The flats have one, two or three bedrooms, and there are eleven adapted for people with reduced mobility.

The project opts for criteria on sustainability and a reduction of the environmental impact, with green rooftops, systems for the reuse of greywater and solar panelling to generate renewable energy.