MVRDV and GRAS announced the completion of five of the seven buildings of Project Gomila in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The residential complex was originally comprised of four existing buildings, adding three new ones for a total of 60 new dwellings and new commercial spaces. The project aligns with revamping the historic neighborhood "El Terreno" as a vibrant and sustainable residential site, home of bohemian nightclubs that hosted iconic musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, and Tom Jones.
Phase one included the renovation of the Gomila square, a 1979 design by the architect Pere Nicolau, and a series of picturesque red townhouses. Aside from preserving, the design focus on the interaction of apartments and commerce rising around a large patio to feature a series of stepping terraces and balconies. Across the street, a new-built block complements the whole complex with more residential space, communal amenities, and a swimming pool.
Dubbed Las Fabri-Casas, the building is constructed of compressed earth blocks cladded with blue ceramic façades and topped with a saw-tooth roof to acknowledge Mediterranean and Mallorquin architecture. As a final part of the phase, the transformation of an existing building, painted green, hosts a revival of the historic bar Bellver and comprises offices and a communal rooftop with views of the bay and the cathedral.
Project Gomila is an exciting architectural project – each of the seven buildings can stand alone as its own individual design, and yet at the same time they are also carefully considered as an ensemble that gives Gomila a fresh boost - Jacob van Rijs, MVRDV founding partner.
The Gomila buildings are energy neutral, and their design is based on the Passivhaus standard. Using locally sourced materials, passive climate control, earth construction, and preservation, the project reduces the carbon produced compared to standard techniques. To utilize the many sun hours of Mallorca, the rooftops host solar panels while heat recovery systems further reduce the buildings’ energy consumption.
The following phases of the project will add two further buildings to the ensemble: the yellow Casa Virginia, and a small villa next to the Gomila Center. Both are renovations of existing neighborhood buildings.
In terms of urbanism, the concept revolves around the diversity of the buildings. […] Where some of the designs are more suited to family homes, others are more suited for apartments for singles or couples; where some buildings are fully residential, others bring commercial functions into the mix. This diversity of people and spaces will help bring back El Terreno’s lost vibrancy - Winy Maas, MVRDV founding partner.
The dutch-based practice, alongside Superworld and the Municipality of Rotterdam, also works on a software prototype as a visualization engine for Rotterdam’s rooftops. Revealed at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, RoofScape incorporates the growing municipal urban data to produce concrete suggestions and stimulate the activation of relatively underutilized urban layers.
