Casa Bloc facts for kids
The Casa Bloc is a special apartment building in Barcelona, Spain. It was built between 1932 and 1936 in the Sant Andreu area. Famous architects Josep Lluís Sert, Josep Torres Clavé, and Joan Baptista Subirana designed it. They were part of a group called GATCPAC. This group wanted to create better homes for workers. The Casa Bloc was one of the first steps to improve how workers lived.
Sadly, the Spanish Civil War stopped the project from being finished as planned. But in 2012, after careful restoration, one apartment (number 1/11) was opened to the public. It looks just like the architects wanted it to. Today, the Casa Bloc is a symbol of rationalist architecture in Barcelona. It was a new idea for social housing, fitting well into the city. In 1992, the building was declared a protected monument.
History of Casa Bloc
Architects Josep Lluís Sert, Joan Baptista Subirana, and Josep Torres Clavé designed this large building. It had over 200 apartments for workers in the industrial Sant Andreu district. Many workers at that time lived in very poor conditions, often in shacks. The Government of Catalonia, through a group called Casa Obrera, supported this project. They wanted to build good homes for workers and help those in need. The President of Catalonia, Francesc Macià, even attended the start of construction in 1933.
The Spanish Civil War stopped the Casa Bloc from being completed. After the war, the building's purpose changed. It was given to families of soldiers and later to the national police, not to the workers it was first meant for. The original ideas of the GATCPAC architects were lost. For example, the shared spaces on the ground floor were changed. Also, parts of the building's access and corridors were altered. The main social goal of the project was forgotten for a time.
The GATCPAC architects wanted the Casa Bloc to show their ideas. They aimed to provide good, affordable housing. They also hoped to create new ways for people to live together and feel part of a community. These creative ideas were very modern for their time. They also showed a strong commitment to helping society. However, these ideas were put on hold during the time of Francoist Spain. They were only recognized and brought back when Spain became a democracy again.
Becoming a Museum Apartment
Apartment 1/11 of the Casa Bloc is now a museum. It is a special example of modern architecture that helped society in Catalonia. Making it a museum was a big and exciting project. Now, visitors can see what one of these apartments looked like when it was first designed.
The Disseny Hub Barcelona helped restore the apartment. They brought it back to its original look and opened it to the public. This project helps us learn more about design and spaces. It also honors the architects of the GATCPAC group. Their new ideas, social commitment, and high standards still inspire architecture in Catalonia today.
For two years, INCASÒL and DHUB worked together. First, they fixed the building itself. Then, they focused on the apartment's design and history. They wanted to make apartment 1/11 look exactly as it did originally.
The museum apartment was restored to its first state. Things added or changed over almost 80 years were removed. The inside was completely fixed up. This included putting in a kitchen, bathroom, laundry area, and shower from the 1930s. Original cement tiles were laid, and folding doors in the dining room were replaced. These parts came from other apartments in the Casa Bloc.
Even small details like taps and light switches were matched to original pieces from the 1930s. The dining room and bedrooms were furnished with period furniture. This helps visitors understand how people lived in these spaces. The success of this project came from careful research and hard work. The people living in Casa Bloc also helped a lot.
The Casa Bloc - Room 1/11 project was a joint effort. It involved INCASÒL (the Catalan Land Institute) and Barcelona City Council's ICUB (Institute of Culture), through DHUB. These groups signed an agreement in 2009 to create the Apartment-Museum.
Apartment-House Museum 1/11
The Apartment-House 1/11 of the Casa Bloc is a museum run by Disseny Hub Barcelona. You can visit it to see the original design of this famous building. It shows the ideas about worker housing during the Second Spanish Republic. Opening this museum apartment honors the work of Josep Lluís Sert, Josep Torres Clavé, and Joan Baptista Subirana. It also celebrates their innovative ideas from the 1930s.
Apartment 1/11 of the Casa Bloc is open to everyone. You can book guided tours starting from March 2012. This apartment is a duplex, meaning it has two floors. It measures 60 square meters. It is located in Block 2, Level 1, Gate 11 of the Casa Bloc. The inside layout is very simple. It clearly separates the day areas from the night areas.
Downstairs, you find the entrance and a hallway. This leads to the laundry area with a shower, the kitchen, and a bathroom with a toilet. There is also a dining room and a terrace. Upstairs, you will find two bedrooms. (Other homes in the Casa Bloc had three or four bedrooms, depending on the family's needs). All rooms have natural light and fresh air. The apartment also has windows on both sides of the building. This allows for good airflow through the home.
See also
In Spanish: Casa Bloc para niños
