On the outskirts of Barcelona, in Sant Just Desvern, stands Walden 7, one of the residential buildings that is a symbol of modular architecture in Catalonia and nationally.
Conceived and built in 1975 by Ricardo Bofill’ s Taller de Arquitectura, this complex is much more than a housing complex: it is the result of a utopian and experimental vision that sought to reinvent community life and ways of inhabiting urban space.
Any avid reader may have already noticed that its name makes direct reference to the novel “Walden Two” by B.F. Skinner, which describes an ideal society based on cooperation and social innovation.
How much is an apartment at Walden 7 in Sant Just Desvern worth?
Today, living in a space that in its time was a symbol of avant-garde is not a utopia. In fact, recently an ad in the real estate portal Idealista has put a price on this idea: 240,000 euros.
That is what it would be worth today an apartment of about 60m2 with 2 bedrooms in this complex in which Anna Bofill herself, architect, Ricardo’s sister and co-author of the project, has lived for more than 30 years.
The communal area has a swimming pool to be shared between the different blocks, as specified in the Internet advertisement itself.
The space was conceived as a small city, where neighbors can make life inside the building. It has meeting rooms, game rooms, bars and even commercial premises on the first floor.
About Walden 7
The Walden is formed by two symmetry axes built from the union of one to four modules, on one or two floors. The complex reaches 50 meters in height and houses more than 1,000 residents in some 446 dwellings. On the rooftop, two communal swimming pools offer panoramic views of Barcelona and the Baix Llobregat.
With a predominant clay tone throughout its structure, which combines with blue tones in the interior, it is a building that conveys the feeling of aridity, of desert. The geometric shapes, straight lines and absence of ornaments are reminiscent of other works by Bofill, such as the Red Wall in Calpe.
Despite its avant-garde and inspiring character, its modular design has faced technical challenges over the years, such as waterproofing problems and detachment of ceramic coverings, which have required several renovations.
In fact, it is reminiscent of other similar constructions by Bofill, such as the Red Wall in Calpe, in which straight lines predominate rather than circular ones, but with an evident chromatic contrast within the building itself and in the surroundings.
Imagine living in a space that architects, students and tourists from all over the world visit to discover a housing model that, half a century later, continues to raise questions about how we want to live and coexist in the cities of the future. And what’s more, it is an Asset of Local Cultural Interest.