A groundbreaking new shelter facility designed specifically for homeless women has opened in Barcelona's Sarria-Sant Gervasi neighborhood, representing a significant shift in how cities approach homelessness support services. The 3,012-square-meter facility, completed in 2023 by Vivas Arquitectos and photographed by José Hevia, sits above Kennedy Square on the site of a former emergency reception center and provides comprehensive day and night services for up to 100 women.

The project reflects a fundamental change in philosophy regarding homeless shelters, moving away from the traditional emergency facility model that focused primarily on meeting basic needs for large numbers of residents. Instead, the new approach emphasizes individualized treatment and support, guiding each resident toward various social, employment, educational, and medical resources to help them rebuild autonomous lives and successfully reintegrate into society.

Vivas Arquitectos designed the facility with three primary objectives that shaped every aspect of the building's conception and execution. The first goal was to generate a safe space – creating a welcoming environment isolated from the city that guarantees user privacy through a perimeter garden that acts as a protective filter between the residents and the urban environment.

The second objective focused on creating socialization spaces throughout the facility. The architects structured the project through a series of porches, galleries, terraces, and meeting areas designed to encourage interaction among residents. These intermediate spaces allow for free appropriation by inhabitants, giving them agency over their living environment and fostering a sense of community within the facility.

The third and perhaps most important goal was to maximize the feeling of home while distancing the facility from the typical appearance of an institutional assistance center. The architects achieved this through the careful selection of warm interior materials and the implementation of a domestic scale throughout all spaces, creating an environment that feels residential rather than institutional.

The building's volumetric design was carefully crafted to respond to both programmatic needs and strict boundary requirements, including 8-meter separations from the street and 5-meter setbacks on the sides and rear. As a result, the architects conceived the building as a unified element – a rectangular prism approximately 60 meters long, 16 meters wide, and reaching a maximum height of 9 meters across three floors.

However, this solid volume is strategically hollowed out in various locations, creating porches, terraces, and other outdoor spaces that transform what could have been an introverted institutional building into an extroverted structure that looks from the inside out. This design strategy not only provides residents with access to outdoor spaces but also helps the building integrate more naturally with its neighborhood context.

The functional organization of the center was developed through large programmatic packages that ensure clear and simple operation for both the facility's staff and its users. Two staircases serve as articulating spaces that connect and organize the different areas of the facility, creating logical circulation patterns that are easy to navigate and understand.

Sustainability played a crucial role in the design process, with the architects implementing a series of passive strategies to minimize the building's environmental impact. The facility features excellent insulation, achieved partly through the extensive use of wood throughout the structure. Additionally, retractable awnings automatically adjust based on temperature and solar incidence, optimizing natural lighting while controlling heat gain.

These sustainable design features work together to create what is essentially a nearly zero-energy building, earning the facility BREEAM Excellent certification – one of the highest standards for sustainable building design. This achievement demonstrates how social housing projects can serve vulnerable populations while also meeting the highest environmental standards.

The Barcelona shelter represents a new model for addressing homelessness, one that recognizes the unique challenges faced by women experiencing housing insecurity while providing a dignified, supportive environment that facilitates long-term positive outcomes. By prioritizing privacy, community building, and a homelike atmosphere, the facility sets a new standard for how cities can support their most vulnerable residents through thoughtful, innovative architecture.