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The Cultural Centre replaces the old Carme Clinic on the corner of Sant Francesc d'Assís Street and Francesc Layret Street. Once past Layret Street, the width of Assís Street widens from 5 to 10 metres and its name changes to El Temple Street. In order to improve the geometrical and visual relationship between the widths of the two streets, the ground floor of the new building is pulled back, widening Assís Street so that it forms a corner, angled at 45º to Layret Street, where the main entrance is placed. The former clinic was four storeys high. The Cultural Centre is five storeys high and the interior spaces are higher according to the requirements of the new activities. The varying geometry of each floor results in the superimposition of different volumes and gives the building its distinctive character. The terraces on each floor are the direct result of the displacement between these volumes. The volumes of the top three floors free themselves of the adjoining buildings and, as they leap towards the corner, they hang over Layret Street, thus avoiding the presence of new party walls of the neighbouring buildings on the street. On the third floor the volume is set back from the neighbouring building on Assís Street, creating a terrace that serves a small indoor bar and overlooks the sea. The northeastern facade connects with the interior of the city block by pulling back from the boundaries and allows for the presence of patios that bring light to the exhibition spaces in the basement level. The vertical circulation and services core, away from the street, lean on the party wall of the neighbouring building on Layret Street. Except for the vertical circulation volume, which is opaque and lit via a patio, and the northeastern side, the rest of the building is covered with a curtain wall, veiled with 24cm wide aluminium louvres. These large fins are fixed, although their inclination is modified so that they allow for views at eye level. At night, the building can appear to be a large and strange urban lamp with agitated stripes of Mediterranean or foreign eastern light. |
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