The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has named Modulus Matrix: 85 Social Housing in Cornellà, an 85-unit timber-framed social housing development designed by Peris + Toral Arquitectes, as the winner of the RIBA International Prize 2024.
The prestigious bi-annual prize recognises the world’s best new architecture.
Modulus Matrix is an innovative housing project that aims to redefine residential design and construction. Built in response to a brief from the public body IMPSOL (the Metropolitan Institute of Land Development and Property Management), the six-storey building of 85-homes is located in Cornellà, near Barcelona, Spain.
Inspired by architect Marta Peris’s research into the films of Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu, whose films explore family, marriage, and the relationships between generations, the concept of Modulus Matrix takes Japanese homes and interiors as a starting point for a modular system of rooms of exactly the same size. Based on the tatami mat module of 3.6m x 3.6m – and interconnected by enfilade rather than corridor – the matrix of rooms makes up the building, which is then organised around a central communal courtyard, with four circulation cores at each corner.
The 85 homes are distributed in four groups and a total of 18 apartments on each floor. Four or five dwellings are organised around the core, so all have cross ventilation and dual orientation. The apartments consist of five or six modules, depending on whether they are two- or three-bedroom units.
The ‘looseness-of-fit’ sets this building apart from more conventional housing. The grid-like layout promotes easy movement and interaction, creating what the architect calls
“a democratic house” with no hierarchy between living, eating and sleeping spaces.
The building allows for both adaptation to new and culturally-specific living arrangements – beyond the traditional nuclear family – and provides flexibility and adaptability over time as the use in each room can be easily changed. It also results in kitchens being the central room of the house, which the architects describe as challenging gender roles by making domestic labour visible.
This strategy of designing around the central module of “room” rather than “dwelling” drives the final form of the building. The central courtyard acts as the heart of the building, facilitating social interaction, as the upper floors feature galleried access overlooking the courtyard, while continuous private balconies wrap around the building’s exterior.
Other carefully considered features include the absence of welded joints, refined detailing, and the consistent dimensional module, which combine to create a sophisticated framework for living.
Challenges such as acoustic insulation between neighbours were addressed with thoughtful solutions like simple mesh screens and Barcelona shutters, which also provide privacy and shading.
The project achieves low CO₂ emissions using a mass timber structure and the modular system reduces environmental impact and significantly shortens construction times. The combination of low-impact and time-efficient construction allows for the roll-out of similar projects where housing need is greatest.
The project follows the model of IMPSOL’s other projects in the area, with land provided by local authorities for projects which mix public and private “socially innovative” housing in financially self-sufficient projects. Overall IMPSOL has delivered over 5,000 homes. Modulus Matrix was completed in 2021 and was Spain’s largest timber-framed project.
RIBA President Muyiwa Oki said: “Peris + Toral Arquitectes’ inspiring housing project in Spain embodies the kind of transformational spirit that is both aspirational and demonstrates genuine change. By embracing flexibility and longevity through long life, loose fit architecture, it is a radical approach to social housing that creates a place designed for people to adapt and inhabit in the long term. This visionary scheme allows for new and future ideas of what constitutes a family, and should be seen as blueprint for delivering sustainable, quality housing around the world at scale. It is a strong example of the ways in which architects can create new and implementable solutions to the common challenge of creating housing for all.”
Marta Peris and Jose Toral, co-founders of Peris + Toral Arquitectes, said: “Winning the RIBA International Prize is a recognition of many years focused on housing that provides new ways of living. We are very proud of the positive feedback from residents of Modulus Matrix. Some were unsure about features like entering through a terrace, having an open kitchen at the centre of the home, and equal-sized rooms without corridors, but their perspectives changed after living in the space. Now they feel this way of living better adapts to their needs. Their first-hand experiences provide valuable insights into how housing around the world can evolve.”
The RIBA International Prize Grand Jury was chaired by Lu Wenyu, Co-founder of Amateur Architecture Studio, with Tosin Oshinowo, Founder and Principal of Oshinowo Studio and Curator of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023, and Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, and Director, Research and Development, The Museum of Modern Art.
On behalf of the Grand Jury, Lu Wenyu said: “Through this innovative approach to social housing, Peris + Toral Arquitectes has responded to the shifting demands of societal groupings by crafting a housing project that is adaptive, inclusive and sustainable. Not defined by stereotypes or fixed assumptions of what constitutes ‘family’, the intelligent organization of space encourages lively interaction and connection within the community, ensuring that the architecture functions on different scales – from the discrete dwelling to the collective space. This building has set a precedent for future developments in Barcelona and beyond and is a worthy winner of the RIBA International Prize 2024.”
The RIBA International Prize is awarded to a building that demonstrates visionary thinking, originality, excellence of execution, and makes a distinct contribution to its users, surrounding environment and communities.
Alongside the International Prize, RIBA has also announced the winner of the International Emerging Architect Award 2024. ARCity has been named the winner for their project Six Bricolage Houses. The award is given in recognition of those making a significant contribution to the field of architecture who have been practicing for 10 years or less. The project, in Nantou Ancient City in Shenzen, China, is a curated series of six self-built homes, built as a pioneering and innovative model for urban renewal in order to meet community needs for housing whilst integrating sensitively with the ancient streets of the historic heart of the city.
Zhang Yuxing + Han Jing, ARCity Office, said: “Winning the RIBA International Emerging Architect 2024 is not only an honour but also a significant affirmation of our innovative experiments. These experiments actually originate from the urban village where the project is located. It serves as an excellent sample, cleverly integrating formal spaces corresponding to the modernist city model with informal spaces corresponding to a wild, spontaneously growing state. This fusion gives rise to a “contradictory unity” composed of various elements such as old and new, heritage and life, poverty and prosperity, ruins and construction, wilderness and artificiality, everyday life and monumentality.
“In this project, we strive to demonstrate that this “contradictory unity,” actively designed by architects, not only creates delightful mixed-use spaces and civic public realm but also possesses the greatest potential for sustainable growth from the very beginning. Perhaps this represents a new paradigm for future cities and architecture - what we call “Bricolage Architecture.”
