The Terrassa Condicionament

With the aim of recovering and reprogramming part of the existing industrial heritage in Terrassa, it is proposed that the Terrassa Condicionament incorporate, in addition to other entities, the new headquarters of the cooperative company Teixidors.

The modernist building, designed by architect Lluís Muncunill in 1916, was originally conceived for textile activity. The construction consists of a series of warehouses that have undergone various modifications and extensions over the years. It is a structure formed by thick stone walls, whose openings are covered with wooden trusses.

The area under intervention consists of two sections. First, there is a noble section of high heritage value, which faces the two main streets, and contained the office activity on the ground floor. On the first floor, we find the home of the former owner. The other section consists of a set of open-plan, high-ceilinged warehouses, where the industrial workshop activity took place. Some of these warehouses also have a basement.

Teixidors Cooperative
Teixidors produces various fabrics using manual looms and handmade work. It is a project centered around laborteràpia (work therapy) as a normalizing and integrating element for people with intellectual disabilities and learning difficulties. The products are made from high-quality materials: wool, linen, cashmere, silk, or cotton, which are treated with natural dyes.

For Teixidors, the possibility of relocating the activity to this new headquarters represents an opportunity to rethink, adapt, and enhance the different lines of value and production of the cooperative.

In this regard, a thorough analysis and approach of the current headquarters have been conducted, studying the different levels:

• Production: The product flows and circulations have been represented, as well as the spaces needed to be incorporated into the new headquarters.
• Physical: A survey of all the workspaces, offices, and current furniture (looms, work tables, turning radii of carts, etc.) has been carried out.
• Energy: The comfort conditions of the different spaces have been monitored and measured, in terms of thermal comfort, air quality, and light quality.
• Social: The different interaction dynamics between the various work teams have been studied.
• Spatial: The new space demands are considered.

Based on this analysis of the current functioning, the occupied spaces have been optimized, reducing the occupied square meters by up to 40%. The proposal gives value to the industrial part over the heritage part, thus reducing the cost of the intervention.

The different strategies adopted aim to improve the company’s operations and increase its productivity, while enhancing the values of the cooperative as well as the Teixidors brand.

It is proposed to reorganize the entire production chain, shifting from a linear circuit to a circular one, grouping all storage spaces via the two freight lifts that connect the basement with the ground floor. In this way, the basement becomes a large storage space for the entry and exit of all material, with a direct and independent access from the street, allowing for potential future expansion.

The insertion of the Teixidors headquarters within the Condicionament Terrassenc is proposed as one more entity, establishing new connectivity relationships with the rest of the existing entities and groupings. The new layout facilitates the relationship between the design departments and the production spaces, highlighting the showroom as a laboratory for experimentation and innovation.

There is also a desire to enhance open visits to the factory (industrial tourism): schools, groups, etc. These outreach activities will not disrupt daily production, allowing for the observation of manual work.

A Landmark in Sustainability
In terms of energy, a sectorization of the program is proposed, accompanied by a strategy of thermal comfort gradation. The offices are grouped in building II in smaller spaces that quickly reach their required operating conditions, representing the areas with the highest demand for comfort. The manual workspaces are located in the larger rooms, as these activities have lower comfort requirements. The storage areas are not climate-controlled.

For the various interventions in the project (showroom module, changing rooms, sectorizations, etc.), wood has been chosen as a strategic material, extending Teixidors’ environmental discourse to the construction logic. The heating and hot water system will operate with a biomass boiler, supplying all the necessary energy from a renewable source. Rainwater collected from the building’s roof will be reused in the fabric washing processes to minimize water consumption.

In conclusion, the proposal aims to revalue the heritage condition of the existing building and become a benchmark in sustainability through the optimization of existing resources, comfort levels, environmental impact, and closing the cycles of materials and energy.