Renovating a flat in Putxet and Farró: rationalist buildings of 1930–1970

What is special about 1930–70 buildings in Putxet and Farró?

These are buildings on a slope with the formal zone separated from the service zone, period aluminium windows and terraces that most often define the project. Partitions can usually be changed, windows go through the community, and on the terrace waterproofing and the guardrail decide. Luxury here is built on the layout, not decoration.

Putxet and Farró sit on a hill between Vallcarca and Sant Gervasi, in the eastern part of the Sarrià–Sant Gervasi district, next to Gràcia. Rationalist buildings were built with simple volumes, long facades, strip windows and terraces. A clear example for context is the La Costa building in Putxet, built by the MBM studio (Martorell, Bohigas, Mackay) between 1974 and 1977. In it, the studio vilablanch rebuilt a 115 m² flat; the project was shown at Barcelona Design Week in November 2020 and published by Metalocus in April 2021.

Can you change the layout of a flat in a rationalist building?

Usually yes, as long as you do not touch structural elements, shared risers or protected parts; the technical project draws the line. The layout of these buildings splits the flat into a formal zone and a service zone, and it is the service zone that is most often redone.

In the flat in La Costa, the studio merged the kitchen with the former laundry, removed three doors and opened the kitchen to the living room with a three-position sliding panel. Bathrooms went from two to three, the terrace was brought into the living area, the former maid's room became a children's bedroom, and the different finishes (parquet, tile, terrazzo) were replaced by a single material. That set of moves is typical for buildings of this age. What to check: where the load-bearing elements run (in 1950–70 buildings it is often a frame with brick infill, but it is confirmed by the project from the archive), where the shared risers and shafts are, and whether the slab is thick enough to move wet areas. If the building is listed, look at its entry: it shows what is protected. Any change to load-bearing elements or the facade goes through a licence.

What should you do with old aluminium windows?

Replace them, but agree a uniform look with the community and choose a profile that keeps the facade's proportions. Windows from the 1960s and 70s, in aluminium frames without a thermal break and with single or very thin double glazing, usually leak air, chill along the profile and do little against noise.

What goes in instead. Thermally broken aluminium with a slim profile close to the original proportions; acoustic laminated glass, especially on streets with traffic; sliding systems to the terrace with a low threshold. A facade window is a common element of the building, so you need the community's agreement, the same look across all flats, and a licence (there is more detail in our guide to replacing facade windows). In a listed building the entry may determine the profile type and colour. If the facade cannot or will not be changed, there is the secondary window on the inside: it leaves the facade alone and damps noise well. When choosing windows, keep the terrace in mind: the way out should be level, without a threshold that catches a foot.

How do you set up a terrace on a slope?

Start with waterproofing and drainage, then the guardrail under the CTE, and only then the paving and planting. The terrace often sits over someone else's home or over a garage, and a waterproofing mistake turns into a leak in the neighbour's flat.

Waterproofing goes in as a continuous layer carried up the walls, with drainage that works: outlets with generous capacity and an emergency overflow, and a fall towards them. The paving is laid on adjustable pedestals so the water runs underneath and the slab can be inspected. Retaining walls and garden terraces on a slope need drainage behind the wall and calculation; the load from planters and soil is calculated by a technical professional.

Guardrail. Under DB SUA 1 (CTE), a protective barrier is needed where the drop exceeds 55 cm. The minimum height is 0.90 m if the drop protected is no more than 6 m, and 1.10 m in all other cases. On a slope the drop on the outer side can exceed 6 m, and then 1.10 m is required. In housing there must be no openings a 10 cm sphere can pass through, and, between 30 and 50 cm height, no footholds a child could climb. That is why in homes with children vertical bars or glass are chosen.

What do you agree with the community and what with the city?

With the community: the facade, windows, outdoor climate units, extractor outlets, terrace slabs that serve as the roof of the flat below, and shared risers. With the Ajuntament: the licence, when the works affect structure, facade or layout in a way that needs a project.

On slopes, building entrances are at different levels, and 1960–70 buildings do have lifts, but the cars are often small: check whether a panel, a bath or a stone slab will fit, and decide in advance how large items reach the flat. If you plan to move the glazing out to the edge of the terrace to enlarge the living room, as in the example above, that is a change to the facade and possibly the floor area, and a technical professional checks it before the design. Gather the community statutes, the minutes of meetings and the building's technical inspection report (ITE), if there is one, before the architect's visit.

What does luxury mean in a 1960–70 building?

Light, views and calm surfaces, not decoration. These buildings were built with large glazing and open views, and the best renovation reinforces that rather than hiding it.

A single floor material that links the rooms (in the vilablanch example, micro-resin instead of the parquet, tile and terrazzo of the separate zones). Concealed flush doors and slim window profiles so the lines stay clean. A kitchen open to the living room and a bedroom with a dressing room and its own bathroom. Quiet: a floor on an acoustic underlay, acoustic glazing and insulation of walls shared with neighbours, covered in our guide on sound insulation. Climate control with ventilation: ceilings in these buildings are lower than in the Eixample, so ducts are planned in advance and hidden in boxed-in runs. We call all of this luxury: you feel it, but you do not see it.

How does BCN YARD work here?

We start with a site survey and measurements: we check floors, risers, windows and the terrace, confirm the layout against the building's project, and look up the catalogue entry and the community's documents. Then the quote. An independent architect signs the project. An in-house crew works with vetted subcontractors, the project has one person responsible, and payment is by stages under contract. We run projects in Russian and Spanish and reply to an enquiry within an hour.

Reference levels: Premium from 1,000 €/m², Luxury from 2,000 €/m², Signature from 3,000 €/m² excluding VAT; on secondary-housing renovations the VAT in our quotes is usually 21%. The 21% applies because in our renovations materials usually exceed 40% of the taxable base; when they do not, renovating a private individual's home is taxed at 10% (Law 37/1992, art. 91). An example: a flat on Carrer d'Urgell in the Eixample, 109.80 m², with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open kitchen, herringbone parquet, slatted wood panelling and a marble wall. The exact price comes in the quote after the survey and measurements.