These four concrete apartment blocks by Spanish architects TASH were only completed last year, but they already look strangely abandoned in these photographs.
The buildings are located in Toledo, central Spain, halfway between the historic city and the new town.
The six-storey buildings sit above two brick-clad car parks, which are almost entirely buried underground.
Balconies line the south elevations of each block, where walls of differently coloured brickwork walls create a pattern of vertical stripes.
Some otherinteresting Spanish projects we've featured include a raised viewing platform around a Roman temple and a social housing tower - see more stories about Spain here.
Photography is by Miguel de Guzmán.
The following text came from TASH:
144 Protected Collective Houses in Toledo, Spain.
Description:
The collective housing complex is located in the Ecobarrio, an ambitious project located in a very important area for the future development of Toledo because is called to become an union nexus between the old town and modern town of Toledo.
Sustainability and optimal bioclimatic behaviour of the building are principles pursued all through the project design process and became, along with the public protection housing derived factors, such as areas optimization and minimal resources and a tight budget, the main criteria followed throughout the project development.
According to the previously established criteria the dwellings are grouped in compact blocks whose shape favours a good bioclimatic behaviour. These blocks are placed following a North-South orientation, allowing to free as much surface in ground floor as possible for common and entertaining areas.
The volumetric compacity and sobriety of the buildings makes a search for formal expressivity necessary by other means as different materials combinations or different scale-textures oppositions.
The material combinations does not only mean great variety on their application but a careful study in other topics as constructive details and encounters between different materials for a better final result.
As for the opposition of different scales-textures, it happens all over the different façades, confronting concepts as mass and simpicity of the concrete slabs on the East-West façades, as other concepts such as dynamism, lightness and complexity of the South façade, perceived as a continuous balcony front with mobile sliding elements that allow sunshade to the housings.
Click above for larger image
In the North façade a more plain and enclosed composition prevails, following a rythm of vertical walls made of different kind of bricks.
Data sheet:
Architects: TASH (Taller de Arquitectura Sánchez-Horneros)
Location: Toledo, Spain
Team: Emilio Sánchez-Horneros, Antonio Sánchez-Horneros.
Collaborators: Javier Rodríguez, Emilio Gómez, Alberto Di Nunzio.
Structural Engineering: Antonio García de Blas
Technical Engineering: Alberto de la Cal, Francisco Ruiz Guadamillas
Client: Servicaman
Construction: FCC Fomento de Construcciones y contratas
Project Area: 21.484,95 m2
Project year: 2008-2010
Weary tat, with no redeeming features.
Imagine this dross in a northern climate, where grey skies would reveal its worthlessness, stained concrete and all.
What's the purpose of imagining this development in a northern climate? Let's at least judge it on where it is, rather than where it isn't – I expect it wouldn't fare too well on the moon either.
Didn't work in the soviet union and doesn't work now.
"…they already look strangely abandoned in these photograph" Not so strange if you look at the surroundings.
Plattenbau is back baby!
"The volumetric compacity… of the buildings"… the use of large words does not make these buildings any more appealing. And is 'compacity' even a real word? Also, talk of pursuing "sustainability" is a bit of a stretch, no? What is sustainable about this? Why not just talk honestly about the project? This is large scale public housing built with minimal budget. I'm sure you could find some positive factors from that perspective.
especially in a country where the housing industry has been hit so hard by the economic crisis.
brutalism is back baby!
i live in northern europe and the environment created around this type of building is horrible. full of drunks, teenagers destroying their futures, broken bottle everywhere… and in the greyness and darkness of the fall and winter… horrible!
1970 …
It´s funny, I see these buildings everyday and I never wondered about the project´s influences.
Some comments are about Northern sad suburbs or even say we´re "back in the USSR"!
Well, I´ve traveled a lot in Northern and Eastern Europe and they may be right.
These are public houses and I agree on the good price as their possible best advantage.
Concrete walls aren´t too attractive under the dry 40ºC Spanish summer weather, it´s pretty weird. And in winter, why don´t we let sunlight get inside?
These are not great. Pretty bad. If there were people around they would be ghettos.