Illa del Mar

Barcelona, Spain

Photo © Adrià Goula

Photo © Rafael Vargas

Photo © Adrià Goula

Photo © Rafael Vargas

Photo © Adrià Goula

Photo © Rafael Vargas

Photo © MSA+A

Architects: MSA+A

Location: Barcelona, Spain
Year: 2008

The residential development of Illa del Mar, is located at the eastern end of the Diagonal Mar district in Barcelona. It forms part of a 5 block complex in a large public park, along the coast of Poblenou. The development consists of 252 apartments distributed between 2 irregularly shaped towers which are connected by a low-rise linear building.

The structure of the towers is composed of a central vertical communications core and a discontinuous concrete wall that encloses the perimeter of the building. A flight of solid reinforced concrete slabs cantilever beyond the structural façade line which form the generously sized perimeter terraces. These cantilevered slabs shape the buildings apparent volume by their varying depth, strategically formed folds, sloping fragmented planes, and sharp edges.

The facades surface is formed by horizontal strips of etched glass balustrades that protect the terraces, and also help to filter through the view of the internal volume.

Depending on the angle of the incident light and the view at street level, the fragments of the façade vary throughout the day from transparent to opaque, from reflective to non-reflective, and provide reflections and hues of changing colour, gloss and transparency.

This dynamic and complex volume, which sinuously folds into the ground and rises up to the sky, creates a uniqueness and plasticity to the buildings, as well as relating to the organic language of the park.