Utopia inhabited : el Barri Gaudí by Taller de Arquitectura : 1960s & 1970s production of everyday social sciences

Abstract

(English) This text is the outcome of PhD research on El Barri Gaudí (Gaudí Neighborhood), one of the collective housing prototypes that emerged worldwide during the 1960s and 1970s embodying alternative ways of communal living in cities. The notion of 'utopia inhabited' and its apparent contradiction delves into the concept of 'past futures'—radical designs that disrupted contemporary conventions, envisioned an ideal future, were eventually constructed, and continue to be inhabited today. Among them, Gaudí Neighborhood, located in Spain and designed by El Taller de Arquitectura, represents a unique case and the first built prototype of a collective housing exploration developed by the transdisciplinary team over a decade. To unpack the story of El Barri and learn from this radical built experience, this dissertation interweaves a series of complex and interconnected narratives. Similar to a documentary, it encompasses various testimonies, gathering voices from archival material, fieldwork, and interviews with the design team members, builders, and neighbors. Echoing the theatrical qualities of the place, which, far from being a setting, is an active actor in the everyday life of the community, this dissertation is structured into independent scenes with a central character: The Neighborhood. The narrative is circular and follows the typical cycle of prototyping. There are three main chapters or groups of scenes, each dedicated to a prototyping phase: everyday scenes—the learnings extracted from contrasting expectations vs. reality—, design scenes—the process of design which includes later iterations of the system—, and built scenes—the built test which does not correspond to a defined object but an open system and its combinable elements. Each group has its structure and temporal logic, constantly traveling through time and scale, and is introduced by its distinct prelude. The everyday scenes explore the conception of the neighborhood as a social utopia: an alternative way of communal living within cities. The communal vision was embodied in an organic urban fabric, a series of domestic settings that offer inhabitants a rich landscape for freedom of movement and daily encounters. The design scenes focus on analyzing how the Gaudí Neighborhood was shaped within its political, social, and economic context. During a period of significant rural exodus, this collection of scenes delves into the team's search to provide an affordable alternative to the widely spread blocks and towers, aiming to offer a variety of spaces for encounters similar to those found in Mediterranean villages. This chapter reveals how this pursuit of creating spaces characteristic of spontaneous and organic fabric led them to work with systems of geometric growth, both for this project and subsequent prototypes. The built scenes deconstructs Gaudí Neighborhood into its essential ingredients and components that define its unique and magical landscape. This series of scenes are presented as micro-narratives concerning its colors, shapes, materials, and elements. The analysis explores the role played by each component, as well as its potential inspiration and inclusion in previous and later collective housing prototypes. Behind the scenes shifts the focus from El Barri Gaudí to the Taller de Arquitectura team, the transdisciplinary collective responsible for its design. This section details the team's formation, which is closely linked to the design and construction of the Neighborhood. It delves into their connections and collaborative working methods. Finally, it reveals the ambiguity of a team sometimes presented as a radical collective, while at other times overshadowed by the figure of Ricardo Bofill.

(Català) This text is the outcome of PhD research on El Barri Gaudí (Gaudí Neighborhood), one of the collective housing prototypes that emerged worldwide during the 1960s and 1970s embodying alternative ways of communal living in cities. The notion of 'utopia inhabited' and its apparent contradiction delves into the concept of 'past futures'—radical designs that disrupted contemporary conventions, envisioned an ideal future, were eventually constructed, and continue to be inhabited today. Among them, Gaudí Neighborhood, located in Spain and designed by El Taller de Arquitectura, represents a unique case and the first built prototype of a collective housing exploration developed by the transdisciplinary team over a decade. To unpack the story of El Barri and learn from this radical built experience, this dissertation interweaves a series of complex and interconnected narratives. Similar to a documentary, it encompasses various testimonies, gathering voices from archival material, fieldwork, and interviews with the design team members, builders, and neighbors. Echoing the theatrical qualities of the place, which, far from being a setting, is an active actor in the everyday life of the community, this dissertation is structured into independent scenes with a central character: The Neighborhood. The narrative is circular and follows the typical cycle of prototyping. There are three main chapters or groups of scenes, each dedicated to a prototyping phase: everyday scenes—the learnings extracted from contrasting expectations vs. reality—, design scenes—the process of design which includes later iterations of the system—, and built scenes—the built test which does not correspond to a defined object but an open system and its combinable elements. Each group has its structure and temporal logic, constantly traveling through time and scale, and is introduced by its distinct prelude. The everyday scenes explore the conception of the neighborhood as a social utopia: an alternative way of communal living within cities. The communal vision was embodied in an organic urban fabric, a series of domestic settings that offer inhabitants a rich landscape for freedom of movement and daily encounters. The design scenes focus on analyzing how the Gaudí Neighborhood was shaped within its political, social, and economic context. During a period of significant rural exodus, this collection of scenes delves into the team's search to provide an affordable alternative to the widely spread blocks and towers, aiming to offer a variety of spaces for encounters similar to those found in Mediterranean villages. This chapter reveals how this pursuit of creating spaces characteristic of spontaneous and organic fabric led them to work with systems of geometric growth, both for this project and subsequent prototypes. The built scenes deconstructs Gaudí Neighborhood into its essential ingredients and components that define its unique and magical landscape. This series of scenes are presented as micro-narratives concerning its colors, shapes, materials, and elements. The analysis explores the role played by each component, as well as its potential inspiration and inclusion in previous and later collective housing prototypes. Behind the scenes shifts the focus from El Barri Gaudí to the Taller de Arquitectura team, the transdisciplinary collective responsible for its design. This section details the team's formation, which is closely linked to the design and construction of the Neighborhood. It delves into their connections and collaborative working methods. Finally, it reveals the ambiguity of a team sometimes presented as a radical collective, while at other times overshadowed by the figure of Ricardo Bofill.

(Español) Este texto es el resultado de una investigación sobre El Barri Gaudí (Barrio Gaudí), uno de los prototipos de vivienda colectiva que surgieron durante los años 1960 y 1970 a nivel mundial, encarnando formas alternativas de vida comunitaria en las ciudades. La noción de 'utopía habitada' y su aparente contradicción profundiza en el concepto de 'futuros pasados' —diseños radicales que cuestionaron las convenciones contemporáneas, vislumbraron un futuro ideal, fueron construidos y continúan siendo habitados hoy en día. Entre ellos, El Barrio Gaudí, ubicado en España y diseñado por El Taller de Arquitectura, representa un caso único y el primer prototipo de una exploración de vivienda colectiva desarrollada por el equipo transdisciplinario del Taller durante más de una década. Para desentrañar la historia de El Barri esta tesis entrelaza una serie de narrativas complejas e interconectadas: las voces que lo diseñaron y las que lo habitan. Como en un documental, se construye un discurso a partir de diversos testimonios que hablan a través de material de archivo, del trabajo de campo y de entrevistas al equipo de diseño, constructores y vecinos. Haciendo eco de las cualidades teatrales del lugar, que lejos de ser fondo de escena es un actor activo de la vida cotidiana de la comunidad, esta tesis se estructura en escenas independientes, con un personaje central: El Barrio Gaudí. La narrativa es circular y sigue el ciclo típico de prototipado. Hay tres capítulos principales o grupos de escenas, cada uno dedicado a una fase de prototipado: las everyday scenes—las lecciones extraídas del contraste de expectativas vs. realidad—, las design scenes—el proceso de diseño que incluye iteraciones posteriores del sistema—, y las built scenes—la prueba construida que no corresponde a un objeto definido sino a un sistema abierto y sus elementos combinables—. Cada grupo tiene su propia estructura y lógica temporal, y va precedido de un preludio. Las everyday scenes exploran la concepción del Barrio como una utopía social: una forma alternativa de vida comunitaria dentro de las ciudades. La visión comunal se encarnó en un tejido urbano orgánico, una serie de entornos domésticos que ofrecen a los habitantes un paisaje rico para la libertad de movimiento y encuentros diarios. Las design scenes se centran en analizar como se configuró El Barrio Gaudí dentro del contexto político, social y económico de la época. La colección de escenas se adentra en la voluntad del Taller de Arquitectura de proporcionar una alternativa a los bloques y torres de pisos convencionales a los protagonistas del éxodo rural para que pudieran disponer de espacios de encuentro comparables a los de los pueblos populares mediterráneos. Este capítulo revela como la investigación sobre la creación de espacios característicos del tejido espontáneo y orgánico los llevó a trabajar con sistemas de crecimiento geométrico, tanto para este proyecto como para posteriores prototipos. Las built scenes descomponen el Barrio Gaudí en sus ingredientes esenciales que definen su paisaje único y mágico. Esta seccion se presenta como micro-narrativas sobre sus colores, formas, materiales y elementos construidos. El análisis explora el papel desempeñado por cada componente, así como su potencial inspiración e inclusión en prototipos de vivienda colectiva precedentes o posteriores. Behind the scenes, traslada el foco del Barrio Gaudí al Taller de Arquitectura, el equipo responsable de su diseño. En este apartado se detalla la formación del equipo, que está estrechamente vinculada a la concepción y construcción del Barrio. También profundiza en los métodos de trabajo colaborativos y las conexiones entre sus miembros. Finalmente, revela la ambigüedad de un equipo que, a veces, se presenta como un colectivo radical, mientras que, en otras, es eclipsado por la figura de Ricardo Bofill.