Borda Nova: affordable housing, comfort and efficiency for everyday living
The Borda Nova affordable housing building in Andorra la Vella reflects an approach to public architecture that addresses a social need through functional spaces, quality construction and careful attention to energy consumption and residents’ comfort.
Commissioned by the Govern d’Andorra, on land provided by the Comú d’Andorra la Vella, the project and construction supervision were carried out jointly by architects Pau Iglesias Rodríguez of ARIET Studio and Jacint Gil Rodríguez of GIL Arquitectura. The building adds 44 affordable rental homes to the public housing stock, with management entrusted to the Institut Nacional de l’Habitatge.
Throughout construction, we shared different stages of the building process. Now that the building is complete, we look back at the decisions that shaped the project and explain how the drawings became built spaces.
Architecture designed for everyday life
The development includes one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, offering a range of layouts to accommodate different household needs. It comprises 15 one-bedroom homes, 23 two-bedroom homes and 6 three-bedroom homes.
The interiors follow a deliberately restrained approach: functional spaces, understated finishes and solutions designed for everyday use and maintenance. The aim has been to focus resources on what brings lasting value to the homes: comfort, workmanship and practical layouts.
This attention also extends to elements that remain unseen. During construction, we highlighted the thermal and acoustic insulation between floors, an essential part of residential quality. A peaceful home and comfortable living alongside neighbours depend, to a considerable extent, on construction details concealed beneath the finishes.
A building envelope designed to Passivhaus principles
Energy efficiency has been central to the project from the outset. The building was designed according to Passivhaus principles, with particular attention to envelope insulation, the reduction of thermal bridges, airtightness and heat recovery ventilation.
The industrialised façade, with its high level of insulation, is a key part of this strategy. Its design requires careful coordination of panels, openings and connections to the structure to maintain the continuity of the envelope’s performance. The project incorporates the industrialised Butech system, part of the Porcelanosa Group.
In an affordable rental building, reducing energy demand has a direct social benefit. The cost of living in a home also includes the energy needed to keep it comfortable. Investing in the building envelope therefore looks beyond construction itself and considers the building’s entire service life.
The roof as part of the environmental design
The extensive green roof is another feature we highlighted as construction progressed.
Vegetation helps limit surface heating, temporarily retains some rainwater and protects the waterproofing from direct exposure. It also restores greenery to an area that would otherwise be occupied solely by construction materials.
The roof thus plays an active role in the environmental strategy and in integrating the building into its urban surroundings.
A building that also serves the neighbourhood
Borda Nova was conceived with a perspective that extends beyond the homes themselves.
Part of the car park is allocated to short-stay public parking, serving the wider community and, in particular, the Terra Vella neighbourhood. This combination of uses allows the development to respond both to residents’ needs and to those of the surrounding area.
Public housing thereby becomes an opportunity to improve local amenities and the way the neighbourhood functions.
A collaborative effort
Construction was carried out in two main phases: PROGEC undertook the excavation and earth-retention works, while LOCUBSA was responsible for the structure, building services and finishes.
The project also benefited from the involvement of GRAFIK in drafting; Jordi Gajas of Enginyeria Clau and Bernabeu Ingenieros in earth-retention and structural engineering; and Javier Jiménez Tierno of Enginyeria JJT in building services engineering.
At ARIET Studio, we would like to acknowledge the work of the contractors, engineering teams, specialist trades and everyone involved in the process. Borda Nova is the result of this shared effort, focused on a clear objective: creating dignified, comfortable and durable homes that respond to people’s needs.
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