With 35 years of existence, the Barcelona office BTA Arquitectura has established itself as the leader in the construction and design of coexistence units for the elderly, inspired by the Nordic residential model, but adapted to Mediterranean vital needs.
With three shareholder partners, Marc Trepat – co-founder –, his son Marc-Romà Trepat and Marta Urbiola, the studio has managed to specialize in the architecture of residences for the elderly and in the restoration of both public and private buildings. “Thanks to specialization, we weathered the crises of 2008 and the pandemic. In the latter, as we knew how to innovate for the elderly, we were prepared for the health and social needs that appeared with the coronavirus,” details its director, Marc Trepat.
The architect defends the creation of “small cozy coexistence units, which are like large shared homes (between 8 and 20 people), located within a residence, totally autonomous and under the same global management.” He believes that we must "try to ensure that the elderly live not as at home, but rather at home", but within a residential center, with common services and socialization. “We have been inspired by the architectural model with person-centered attention, but we adapted it to the Mediterranean lifestyle, with more open spaces because we have more sun and we interact more,” he says. They work mainly in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, but they also advise centers in the rest of Spain. “In Calafell, we are with an innovative project with the Santa Teresa Foundation. “We have created 20 coexistence units, of six people, that will accommodate children with intellectual disabilities, who have grown older, and their parents, who have aged,” he says.
The studio has a team of 10 people and, as a result of the pandemic, has doubled sales. In 2021 it had a turnover of 600,000 euros; in 2022, 830,000 and last year it closed with 1.2 million. Urbiola leads the restoration department with a multidisciplinary team. “Each project – he explains – is a unique trip to the past, with the challenge of recovering the essence of the building.” An emblematic work is the Ciutadella Hivernacle, “with meticulous work that has recovered the original image, respecting its original materials.”
Next challenges: Wellness and rehabilitation architecture will merge in senior cohousing. “We recover old buildings to convert them into spaces for coexistence,” says Trepat. His son will be in charge of international expansion.
