Walden 7

Walden 7
1970-1975
Presented by John Holten

The complex known as "Walden 7" was constructed in 1974 under the design specifications of Ricardo Bofill and his firm Taller de Arquitectura. Ricardo is a Barcelona native born in 1939; he studied architecture in Geneva Switzerland where he received his philosophical insight to design. The Taller de Arquitectura started design work on Walden 7 in 1970.
This project came about for a number of reasons based in historical events coinciding. The first is the site; Walden 7 is nestled among remains of a disused cement factory. Second was the dictatorship of General Franco. The city of Barcelona was growing in size and needed a place to expand. The nearby suburb of Sant Just Devern was the perfect location. The stage was set for Walden 7. The main buildings of Walden 7 get their interesting shape from the design and construction. The two towers are composed of 1,100 cubes measuring 5.3 meters (two floor heights). These are stacked 8 high corbelling first out and then in to create unique shape of the buildings. This stack effect creates walkways on the interior and then on the exterior as they stack inward. This unfolds to reveal a 3-d labyrinth of walkways, stairwells, and paths that are named like city streets.