Transformation of the Old Modelo Prison
The old Modelo Prison in Barcelona is being transformed into a public facility.
SOCOTEC has executed the structural study plan for the transformation project.
General Information
Date: 2023
Client: Ajuntament de Barcelona
Collaborators: BBG Estructures
Location: Barcelona, España
Photo property: SOCOTEC + Ajuntament de Barcelona
The old Modelo Prison in Barcelona will be transformed into a cultural and educational hub.
The winning project of the ideas contest, called Model, Batega, was presented in 2020. The design, by the architectural firms Forgas Arquitectes and Planas Esquius Segatti, plans to maintain the panopticon and the six arms of the building, which will be rehabilitated to house different public facilities, such as a school, a sports center, and a memorial space in the main building.
A section of the wall on Provença Street will be opened to create a temporary plaza, which will become a space for meeting and public use while the building transformation works are underway.
With the aim of collecting information on the construction and structural system of the La Modelo Administration building, the structural studies team at SOCOTEC has executed the drilling plan, drafted by BBG Estructures.
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SOCOTEC Drilling Plan
Assessment of the construction and structural system
- Determine the condition and hierarchy of the load-bearing walls, assess them, analyze their vertical continuity, and monitor the evolution of existing cracks
- Locate the damage present in the beams or steel profiles in both visible and hidden areas, including the edges of windows and doorways. Analyze the influence of moisture in this regard.
- Verify the actual geometry of the existing foundation and confirm that the stress on the consolidated soil is manageable.
- Review the roofs and their drainage system, channels, and evacuation systems, as a poorly functioning system can have structural implications for the preservation of the structure.
- Determine the condition and hierarchy of the load-bearing walls, assess them, analyze their vertical continuity, and monitor the evolution of existing cracks
- Locate the damage present in the beams or steel profiles in both visible and hidden areas, including the edges of windows and doorways. Analyze the influence of moisture in this regard.
- Verify the actual geometry of the existing foundation and confirm that the stress on the consolidated soil is manageable.
- Review the roofs and their drainage system, channels, and evacuation systems, as a poorly functioning system can have structural implications for the preservation of the structure.
