perpendi-cular

municipal health and wellness center

barcelona, spain | summer 2024

instructors: mark cottle, nuria arrendo, arnau pascal

Located at the corner of Avinguda del Paral·el and Carrer de Calabria in Barcelona, Perpendi·cular is municipal center containing various health services, offices, and exercise spaces, providing a space of wellness and community to locals and passersby. The design prioritizes a feeling of tranquility for its occupants through two main channels: organization and dynamism. The facade speaks to the iconic urban fabric of the Eixample. The circulation of the overall structure is intentionally placed along this border to mimic the balconies and levels of other corners in the city. As such, this familiarity creates an ease of navigation into the rest of the project. It allows visitors to take their time wandering to their destination, gazing to the city skyline as they do so. To avoid the redundancy of a long and repetitive hallway, the programmatic elements “plug in” to the outer layers in a much more spontaneous manner, giving a forest-like appearance as these volumes create a canopy over an interior courtyard. This expression creates an alternative sense of relaxation, sheltering more intimate, contemplative spaces both within the courtyard itself and through the smaller overlooks created by the program. The dialogue between the order and the organic creates a balance and harmony that support the central goals of wellness, health, and tranquility.