El Prat de Llobregat
El Prat is a municipality on the outskirts of Barcelona that grew exponentially during the construction boom driven by domestic migration. Very little remains of its small historical core, and many of its traditional rural farmhouses have progressively disappeared. Given this context, searching for “historical original colors” offered little practical value. Instead, working alongside the Municipal Planning Services, we proposed addressing the endemic lack of identity in that specific architecture by introducing design alternatives that would upgrade the urban landscape while prioritizing sustainability and eco-friendliness (in both products and processes).
Within a short timeframe, we succeeded in uncovering aesthetic value within even the most speculative construction models, proving that this modest architecture could be visually enhanced through the strategic use of color to achieve highly engaging compositions. The resulting color chart features a refined selection of tones but offers over thirty distinct combination models tailored to different typologies of multi-family housing blocks and their compositional elements. To curb unauthorized alterations and rogue property interventions, we drafted the “Urban Landscape Ordinances of El Prat de Llobregat,” which established construction solutions and materials characterized by greater environmental sustainability and a lower embodied energy footprint. Following an initial period under our direct technical oversight for all facade interventions, the Color Master Plan of El Prat was officially published, and its ongoing enforcement was handed over to the Department of Urban Planning and Environment.
