The Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation of Barcelona (IMHAB), has handed over the keys to the new apartments on Novelles Street, 2-10, in the Bon Pastor neighborhood, Sant Andreu district. The event was attended by the district councilor, Marta Villanueva, the Housing Commissioner, Joan Ramon Riera, and the president of the Bon Pastor Neighborhood Association, Paquita Delgado.

The commissioner focused on the significant change this represents for families and assured that “it is a turning point in their life project”. “Those of us who remember what Bon Pastor was like 25-30 years ago know the depth of the social change this implies for families”, he added. He also wanted to emphasize that “we are very pleased” that “from the City Council, we can support the construction of life projects”.

The councilor highlighted that families are changing homes but not leaving the neighborhood: “The apartments we are delivering belong to neighbors who live in Bon Pastor and, therefore, continue to be in the neighborhood. It is important not to leave your space, and being able to grow and develop your life project in your environment is the best”. Finally, she mentioned the “great challenge” of transforming the Sant Andreu district in general and the Bon Pastor neighborhood in particular: “We are growing, and we want to do it hand in hand with the neighbors. Bon Pastor is transforming, and to not forget where we come from, we have a museum about this new transformation”, referring to the Museum of Cases Barates.

This is the building at Novelles Street, 2-10
This development consists of 27 social rental units and 27 affordable rental units. Therefore, 54 beneficiaries and their families have already been able to enter their new homes. One of them is Maria Matkava, who is “very grateful”. She and her family face the new stage “very content and very happy”. “I have no words to explain the emotion I feel”, she confesses.

It is a four-story building with a ground floor and a basement with parking for 55 four-wheel vehicles. Of the 54 apartments, 39 have three bedrooms, 14 have two bedrooms, and only 1 apartment has one.

Regarding energy efficiency, the design is intended to promote maximum cross ventilation, with mixed natural gas condensing boilers, and solar panels installed on the roof. In addition, it will have pneumatic collection of urban solid waste.

Building I1 is part of the fourth phase of the renovation process of the Bon Pastor cheap houses neighborhood that IMHAB has been carrying out for 16 years. The first phase was completed in 2006, delivering 152 new apartments. In 2010, another 190 were delivered, and in March 2017, 167. In this fourth phase, a total of 244 homes will be built.