The Room Community – Illa Glòries is a pioneering public housing initiative designed by Cierto Estudio that redefines collective living in Barcelona. Developed as part of a broader urban regeneration plan for the Plaça de les Glòries area, the project responds to the city’s housing crisis with an inclusive, sustainable, and flexible architectural model.
The design prioritizes community interaction through a system of interconnected public and semi-public spaces. Communal courtyards, continuous balconies, and generous circulation paths serve as spatial frameworks that support neighborly relationships and caregiving dynamics. These shared areas are conceived not only as spaces for leisure but also as environments that promote safety and mutual visibility—especially important from a gender perspective.
Each apartment is configured to encourage adaptability and spatial equality. Instead of centering on a hierarchical layout, the homes feature rooms of equivalent dimensions that accommodate diverse family structures and evolving lifestyles. Kitchens, often sidelined in traditional floor plans, are integrated as social hubs that extend into the communal life of the building. A robust environmental strategy underpins the architecture. The structure is built in cross-laminated timber (CLT) and meets NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building) standards, with passive design strategies including cross-ventilation, solar protection, and green roofs. Over 60% of the site is dedicated to vegetation, countering the urban heat island effect and providing climatic comfort.
On the urban scale, Illa Glòries enhances connectivity by opening a pedestrian route between Diagonal Avenue and the nearby Encants Market. The architecture facilitates a dialogue between the private and the collective, while integrating commercial spaces to activate the street level. This multi-scalar sensitivity—ranging from domestic interiors to urban form—reflects a paradigm shift in housing design led by public institutions.
Cierto Estudio’s Building A contributes 51 of the total 238 residential units in the block. Through spatial neutrality, environmental responsibility, and a vision of urbanity centered on care and coexistence, Illa Glòries establishes a new benchmark for equitable housing.
