Temporariness in architecture as a way to understand urban residential settlements, the case of Barcelona
The history of housing demonstrates that the idea of the home has never been exclusively associated with stability or permanence. Alongside the architecture documented in archives and planned by institutions, there has always existed a hidden yet vital dimension made of precarious, ephemeral, and se...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:upcommonspor::d35853d188f38c978a19366ad147d30b |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/462414 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Slums -- Spain -- Barcelona Self-help housing -- Spain -- Barcelona Temporary structures (Building) Temporariness Informality Self-built housing Adaptability Urban transformation Barraquisme -- Catalunya -- Barcelona Autoconstrucció -- Catalunya -- Barcelona Construccions provisionals Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Arquitectura::Tipologies d'edificis::Habitatges |
| Sumario: | The history of housing demonstrates that the idea of the home has never been exclusively associated with stability or permanence. Alongside the architecture documented in archives and planned by institutions, there has always existed a hidden yet vital dimension made of precarious, ephemeral, and self-built dwellings. These settlements, often absent from official historical and urban narratives, reveal that temporariness is not merely a matter of materials or construction techniques, but also the expression of broader social, economic, and political conditions. This condition raises a central question: can temporariness itself be understood as an urban value rather than as a deficiency to be eliminated? This thesis addresses this question by investigating the relationship between architecture, temporariness, and the act of dwelling. Housing is adopted as the primary field of inquiry, as it directly reflects everyday life and embodies the tension between permanence and transformation, stability and precariousness. Starting from a broader theoretical framework on temporariness in architecture, the research then focuses on the case of Barcelona, where the phenomenon of barraquisme provides a particularly significant field of observation. In this context, two informal settlements are examined as emblematic examples, serving as a lens to understand architecture through the dynamics of temporariness and informality. The settlements had completely different outcomes, which allows for a detailed comparative analysis of their development over time, spatial organization, materials, and social dynamics. Although the study focuses on Barcelona, the analysis of these settlements highlights broader and highly contemporary issues relevant to many urban realities worldwide. |
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