Renovation is one of the cornerstones of the municipal Pla Viure, which aims to dignify the city’s housing stock and guarantee the right of local people to stay in their neighbourhoods, particularly in areas where it is difficult to find space to build in, such as El Raval.

In response to these key objectives. The keys to the flats with affordable rents in the building in C/ Hospital, in the Raval neighbourhood, have now been handed over. The block has been completely revamped by the IMHAB and consists of 17 homes, four of them in a loft style and the rest with 62 square metres and two bedrooms. The homes were awarded through a draw for people under 35 on the Barcelona Register of Applicants for Officially Protected Housing (RSHPOB). Monthly rents will range from 153 to 463 euros, plus communal costs (around 50 euros a month).

The keys handed over on this occasion bring the number of keys handed over in Barcelona to 2,285 during this term of office, and in Ciutat Vella alone, 99.

Complete revamp

When it was acquired in 2016 the building was in very poor repair. It has now been completely renovated: structural elements reinforced with the main configuration conserved, demolishing only added volumes and keeping the installation chambers. One of the improvements that stands out is the installation of two lifts to facilitate accessibility, plus the renewal of installations and the incorporation of energy efficient water heating and climate control systems.

The work placed value on access and communal spaces, the intention being to create a singular building. Care was taken with important elements such as locks, paint, and in particular, the aesthetics of the inner yard, with the use of singular forms in rails and bars, plus the use of partial cladding in coloured tiles.

Other officially protected homes in Ciutat Vella

Since the beginning of the year, keys have also been handed over to 44 flats in the development in C/ Sant Martí, 19 flats with affordable rents in C/ Robador, in the neighbourhood of El Raval, and 13 flats in the Llar Barcelona building in Pg. Joan de Borbó. In addition, there are four projects at the awarding stage in the district of Ciutat Vella: in C/ Botella, a block of 11 officially protected homes and the new block at Rda.Sant Pau 46, which will have 36 new homes, managed by the Hàbitat 3 organisation.