The value of use: Heritage is not based on monetary value or grandeur but instead on time and collective experience. This is evident in ordinary architecture, where layers of history are present in every detail, waiting to be remembered. Even seemingly insignificant elements of abandoned buildings, such as doors and windows, have value in their use. Drawing and cataloging these elements is a way to understand and appreciate building culture. The two projects featured here are the Yutes Warehouse in Barcelona (completed in 2005), which introduced them to the discipline of reuse, and Sala Beckett, also in Barcelona (completed in 2017), rehabilitated by restoring its physical and social heritage.
image © Adrià Goula
The open condition of the ruin: The architects describe the experience of being inside a ruin and how it presents itself as a patient and silent witness to the passage of time. The ruin is a palimpsest, where different periods are joined together, creating a timeless character that invites interpretation, offering a connection between one’s memories and the memories of the place. The project for the Variétés Cultural Laboratory in Bruxelles (ongoing), developed alongside Ouest Architecture to give new life to a 1930s theater, is presented here.
‘The open condition of the ruin’ theme | image © Eva Prats
The right to inherit: Each generation has the right to adapt the legacy of the past to current conditions; this, however, should be done with critical reflection and respect for the material and emotional history of what is inherited. An understanding and incorporation of what was there before are required, leading to a balance where design actions are not entirely novel but rather an evolution of what existed previously.
Two projects are featured here. For the Casal Balaguer Cultural Centre in Mallorca, developed with Duch- Pizà Arquitectes and completed in 2016, the architects converted an aristocratic house that dated back to the 14th century, was renovated in the 16th century, and expanded in the 18th century from a private family residence to a public building accessible to the entire city. Likewise, La Favorita Fab Lab in Barcelona (ongoing), which repurposes an abandoned industrial complex, considers external conditions beyond the building itself as a heritage to preserve. This includes the trees growing along its facade and the vast sky surrounding the site.
work in progress at La Favorita Fab Lab, Barcelona | image © Adrià Goula
’emotional heritage’ as an open + collaborative workshop
Flores & Prats has interpreted its exhibition space for ‘Emotional Heritage’ as an open and collaborative workshop integrated with its neighboring installations. The studio displays various materials, commonly used in their research and development of projects, on tables or freestanding satellites, creating an atmosphere of material flow beyond the tables and encouraging visitors’ interaction. Sketches and models are arranged on the tables, introducing the six projects that showcase the ‘Emotional Heritage’ approach of the practice.
These projects are presented as open and unfinished documents, inviting visitors to participate in the research and design process. Display devices, such as containers and models on legs, are located near the tables, showcasing fragmented material used in the design phases to test proportions and facilitate conversations with clients and builders. These trunks serve as archives for the models once the project is complete, allowing for a deeper exploration of emerging themes.
work in progress at La Favorita Fab Lab, Barcelona | image © Adrià Goula
The exhibition also features films and animations, providing a critical lens to view the creative process and explore the stories and situations that shape the final product. Flores & Prats’s participation in the Biennale Architettura 2023 confirms their role in the international architectural debate. It celebrates their remarkable ability to capture the accumulated layers of history present in every site, even the ones that are not immediately visible, and their skillful talent in transforming existing structures into emotional spaces.
Their ongoing project for the Théâtre des Variétés in Bruxelles, developed with Ouest Architecture and due for completion in 2024, proposes an open, inclusive public space to welcome debates, art, and musical performances and to celebrate public encounters, aiming to reactivate the place for its new use while retaining its unique spatial and material qualities.
