Assistance Center in Usera, Madrid

CONCEPT: We live turbulent times. Times of conflict and tension that frequently test our resilience in our daily lives. It is clear that architecture cannot solve these problems, but it can create spaces that foster connection between people, solidarity, and resilience. A refuge that offers calm and relief, attention and guidance. And these are the aims that the presented proposal pursues.

Settled within an environment of mid-rise buildings and busy avenues, ALIVIO creates its own habitat. The required programs—Social Services Center, Family Support, and Other Social Resources—are distributed across three buildings around a central covered distribution space. This empty space plays a fundamental role in the bioclimatic performance of the complex. A heart that will beat to the rhythm of those who come here.

BUILDING INTEGRATION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT: The three volumes, set back according to their heights as stipulated by urban planning regulations, allow access from Marcelo Muñoz Díaz, Antonio López, and Avenida de Córdoba streets. The access level is located at elevation +576.83 meters, so the differences in level will be overcome with a staircase from Avenida de Córdoba (+580.43 meters at the access point) and an accessible ramp from Marcelo Muñoz Díaz (+577.6 meters at the access point). The setback allows the preservation of most of the trees on the plot, since the proposed 52-space employee parking area also respects this setback, in order to maintain the perimeter trees. The access ramp to the parking area is located on Marcelo Muñoz Díaz, occupying the strip without trees.

The proposal is developed primarily on two floors, reaching three only in one bay, adjacent to the existing buildings. Therefore, human scale and minimal height are always priotritized. Another key component will be the placement of courtyards at different levels, which will provide natural light and ventilation to all the rooms in the complex. Facing the city, the volumes present a more hermetic and private image, achieved by reducing the number of openings and latticework. However, towards the central space, the facade becomes more transparent, allowing building users to enjoy the vegetation growing there.