E18 Portrait - niu

Barcelona-La Verneda (ES) - Runner-up

niu

Associate: Adrián Haro (ES) – architect

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"NIU re-sources local assets. Nature: The porous design amplifies Besòs breezes for passive cooling. Social: Inspired by permeable Tulous, activates community via shared workshops. Materiality: Off-site 3D modules minimize waste and embodied energy, treating time and precision as renewable resources. Socially, central kitchens and corridor-free layouts challenge gender roles, socializing domestic labor. Ecologically, rooftop hydroponics feed ground-floor workshops, closing metabolic loops. The porous volume fights the heat island effect, actively healing the urban microclimate."

public & private space
residential building entrance view
construction elements