La flexibilitat

coma
dispositiu

Flexibility
as a Device
Monique Eleb-Vidal
Anne M arie Chatelet
Thierry Mandoul

Passats els " anys f lexib les" en que qu alsevol di scurs sobre
l' habitatge s'havia de remetre al problema de la flexibi litat.
desprs de les decepcions i de les dures crtiques que han
tingut lloc, s' hauria pogut pensar que la fl exibi litat havia de
deixar de ser un tema d ' act ua l itat. 1 La teoria de la f lexibilitat
am b l 'habita nt brico/eur dedicat a transfo rma r constantment
!'interior de la seva casa d'acord amb els seus gustos i les seves
necessitats semblava apa rentment un esquer fragil.
No obstant aixb, la idea dominant de la flexibi litat encara
continua essent vigen t avui, ta l co m ho indicava A. Colquhou n
l'any 1977: " Les exigencies de la vida moderna sn ta n
complexes i canviants q ue tots els intents d' ant icipar-les per
part de l'a rqu ite cte comporten u n edifi ci i nadequat per a la seva
funci". En aq uest sentit , i si reprenem els t reball s
desenvo lupats durant els decennis precedents sobre aquest
tema, avui alguns projectes tornen a reclamar la conveniencia
d'aprofundir en el co ncepte de flex ibi litat, ta nt en la m ateixa
util itzac i de l'habitat co m en les tecniques i els processos de
producc i que implica aquest mateix concepte.
Aquesta investigaci no es limita nom s al simpl e
despla9ame nt d 'a lguns e nvan s, si n que ve acompanyada per
noves so lucio ns tecniques relacionades amb la mateixa
construcci. Le s estructures que supo rten els edificis sn
redefinides aix, de l a mate ixa manera que els principis
tradi cio na ls de d istribuci de les i nstal lacions. 2
Efectiva ment, molt professionals sn conscients que les noves
tecnologies i els m itjans de comu n icaci tindran un paper m s
destacat en la vida quot idiana domestica, encara que han estat
pocs els que han inte ntat abordar fo rmal m ent aquest a
problematica.
La majoria deis arq uitect es subratllen les dificu ltats i els peril ls
de ter pro speccions en aque st ambit. Una de les ra ons d'aqu est
rebui g a anticipar solucio ns t relaci amb la perman encia i

Now that the " flexible years" have passed, in which any
discou rse on housing had t o refer t o the probl em of
flexibility, after the disappointments and the ensuing
harsh criticisms, one might have though that flexibility
had cea sed to be a topical subject.' The theory of flexibility with the brico/eur occupant, devoted to constantly
t ransforming the interior of the home according t o his
lastes and needs, seemed apparently to be a fragile
bait. Nevertheless, the dominan! idea of flexibility is still
as valid today as in 1977 when Alan Colquhoun stressed : "the d emands of modern life are so complex and
changeable that all attempts on the part of architects to
an t icipate the m resul t in a building inadequ ate for its
function".
In t his sense, and taking up again the work carried out
in recen! decades regarding the subject, today some
projects once again advocate the expediency of examining the concept of flexibility in depth , in terms of both
the use of the home and of the techniques and processes of production involved.
This research is not limited on ly to the simple shifting of
partition walls but also includes new technical solutions
regarding construction . The structures that support
bu i ldings have been redefin ed , as well as traditional
principies of the distribution of installations.2
Many professionals are aware that the new technologies and the media will have an increasingly relevan!
rol e t o pl ay in everyday domestic life, altho ug h f ew
have made any design proposals on the subject. In fact.
most architects emphasise the difficulti es and the
dangers involved in prospecting in this field. One of the
reasons for t his reluctance t o anticipate soluti ons has
much to do with the permanence and predominance of

98

am b el predom i ni de les orga n itzacions espacia ls de

l' habit at ge en relaci amb les in novac ions tecn o logiques.
En tot cas, aq ue lls q u e han abor dat el t em a sn unani mes a
l' ho r a de r econe ixer les g r an s t r an sform aci o ns futures de
les fo rmes de vid a que la i ntroducci d e les noves
tecn o log ies ha d e provocar e n l'h abitatge . Aquest
rao n am ent s la base de les seves pr eocu pacions i r emeta
l'aparici deis pri mers m itj ans de comun icac i, com la
televisi i les cadenes d'alta fidelitat. que h an portat
definitivament els h abitatges a un a altra m ena d e
comportament.
Gracies als m itjans tec nologics (e l te leton, el minitel ,
l' o rdi nad or), el t reb al l se situ a a l'espai domestic.
El dese nvolupame nt del treball en qest i -el te letreba ll o
e l te leensenyament- planteja qestio ns fona m enta ls t ant
des del punt de v ista de l 'espa i com deis ambits social i
prof ession al, com tamb ju rdic i financer, i ob li ga el s
arq uitectes a redefi n ir els l m its ent r e els amb it s priva t i
pb lic en un h abitatge3
A ix , do nes, es tracta de delimi tar aquesta t asca comu na
nova definici arq uit ect o nica de l'espai habit at . En aquest
sentit, sembl a q u e s ' ha i m posat u n o bj ecti u evident:
replantej ar e ls principis habit u als i t roba r en l' h abit atge
co llect iu les qua litats d' s que t robem als habitat ges
in di v iduals. 4 En tots els casos, la idea de l 'apartament coma
Ioft, com el lloc de " t ots e ls possib les", es present a com la
base ms solida del proj ecte.
Les "redu.ides d i mensions de la maj oria de is projectes
act ua ls" constit u ira l' argu m ent principal p er intent ar
so lu cionar el pr ob lem a del nou h abitat.
Evidentment , ens podem pla ntej ar les d ific u ltats
d'apropiaci am b q ue es p odrien troba r els hab it ant s en el
cas extrem que "no es p roposi cap pa rt ici". L'exemple m s
destacat podria ser, potse r, el de 1'" espai bu it", ap aregut als
anys seta nta com u n p rocs d'apropiaci opti m perqu els
resident s/ usua ri s poguessin crea r ll iu r ement e ls i nterior s
deis seus h abitat ges. L'expe ri encia va dem ostr ar que aquest
concepte era un tracas. Pero es podria p lant ejar una
" fl exibi litat rea li st a" ent orn d'alg u ns e lem ents fi xos, co m
els san ita r is, la cu ina i les in st a llacion s. Concept es com els
de les " parets equ ipades ", els "envans-armari" o el
reag r upame nt deis ser ve is no comporten cap revoluci,
pero permeten g uanya r su perf icie en l'habitat ge social i
demostrar d'aquesta ma n era q u e treba ll ar a la casa implica

spatial layouts of housing in relation t o technological

innovations.
Those who have examined the subject are, in any case,
unan imous in recognising the great f ut ure changes in
l ifestyles which wil l be caused by the int roduction of
new techno logy into the heme. This kind of reasoning
refers ba ck to th e advent of the first communication
med ia, suc h as the te levision and the hi-fi, which have
led toa definite chan ge in the conduct of homes.
Thanks to the technological m ed ia (the te lephone, the

minitel, the computer) the heme is rapidly beco ming the

p lace of work. The development of wo rking at he me ,
through modems and educational syst ems such as the
open university, poses fundamental questions f rom t he
points o f view not only of spa ce and s ocial and profe ss ional areas, but also of legal and economic areas,
and f orces architects t o redefine the l i mits b etween
what is prvate and what is public in the home .3
The issue, therefore, is ene of delimiting this task w ith a
new, architectural definition of the heme space.
In this sense, a clear goa l seems to be to re-examine t he
usua l p r incipi es and to discover i n collect ive hous in g
the qualities of use found in the ind ividual heme.'
In every case, the i dea of the apartment as Ioft, the
place of " all possib il ities ", emerges as the most sol id
basis for the project. The "sma ll dimensions of most of
t o day's projects " would constitute the main argument
in an attempt to salve the problem of the new habita!.
Of course, we might examine the difficulties of appropriation which occupants would encounter in extreme
cases where " no partitio n is proposed". The most stri king example of this might be that of the "empty space",
which emerged in the seventies asan optimum process
of appropriation, allowing the occupants to free ly create
their h eme interiors. Experience has preven that this
concept does not work.
Nevertheless, a "realistic flexibi lity" could be proposed
around a number o f fi xe d elements, such as the bathrooms and toilets, the kitchen and the installations .
Concepts su ch a s "eq uipped walls", " partition wall cupboards " or the re-grouping of services are far f rom
re vol utionary , but they do make it possib le to gain
surface area in social h ous ing and t o show, thus, that
work on housing involves re-examining , w it hout grandi-

un rep lantejament. sense grandi loqencies, de l 'articulaci

ent re usos, t ecniques i d istri bu ci . 5

loquence, the articulation b etwee n uses, technics and

distribution.5

99

of specified duration", on the other, t he "light partitions

Murs tecnics i fayanes filtre

Les noves tecniques rela cionades am b els avenc;:os
estructura ls i amb e l ca m p de les install acions avui
pe rmete n definir l'habitatge com un espai
abso lutament obert, un pla horitzont al format per un
terra de "l iases a lveolars" que permet el pas de les
xa r xes i es recalza a unes parets concebudes com
espa is te cn ics, on es traben condensats els serveis
i els cab lejats. 6
Si el co nsiderem sota la forma d'un espai
especficament t ecn ic, el m u r rep aix un tra ctament
particular. Aquesta idea modifica la disposici deis
"serveis", els qua ls poden est ar reagrupat s d'una
manera l ineal recolzats a les parets m itgeres o b a les
de les fac;:anes . D'a questa manera, els equipaments
fo rm en un gruix "servidor" al llarg de les parets i
apareixen dissociats de les habitacions. Ja no podem
parlar de sales de bany: els lavabos i les banyeres
s'alinien a !'exterior deis "mu rs t ecnics".
Es tracta, de fet, d 'utilitzar un element estructural la
funci del qual no presenta dubtes, i d ' enriquir-ne el
se ntit: parets "portadores " i sepa radores s' enriqueixen
amb un gruix de petits rebosts entre els bu its deis
quals poden penetrar la ll um i l'aire.
A la definici funcional de les habitacions s'h i oposa,
aix, una "poliva lencia de llocs". El que fins ara
suportava la funci -l'eq u ipament- esdev a'il lat i
periferic. Per t ant , les habitacions no necessiten ser
caract eritza des d'u na ma nera concreta: e l seu paper pot
ser indefinit, mentre que els equipaments es reagrupen
en un afegit desl l igat de tota l'extensi que envolta.
L'habitatge ja no s format per un conju nt
d'habitacions: s un espa i sense funcions i sense
enva ns, un espai uniforme adrec;:at, en la seva
neutral itat , a l'habilitaci . s "un espai per ser
conq uerit ".
D'aq uesta m anera, es perfi la una forta oposici entre el
que s fi x i el que s mobi l, entre !' estructura i els
envans. La const ru cc i i els serve is formen el quadre
estab le " immoble" de l'habitatge, mentre que els
enva ns llisquen a l'ambit del moble, del que s
tempora l i mobi l. D' una banda, les "parets tecn iques
d'una durada determ i nada ", i de l' altra, les "parti cions

of limited duration". 7

lleugeres d'una du rada l imitada".'

Technical Walls and Filter

Fa ~a des

New technology relatad to st ructural developments and

to the field of installations makes it possible today to
define the home asan absolutely open space, a horizontal plane formed by a floor of "alveolar slabs", allowing
the networks to pass through, resting on walls conceived as "technical spaces ", in which the services are
condensed. 8
lndeed, considered as a specifica lly technical space, the
wall is subjected to particular treatment. This idea modifies the arrangement of the "services", which can be regrouped lineally on either the party walls or the

fa~ade

wa l ls. In this way the i nstallations form a "serving"

thickness a long the walls and appear dissociated from
the rooms. lt is thus no longer possible to speak of bathrooms: the toilets and washrooms become lined up in
the padding of the "technical wa lls".
lt is a question, in fact, of using a structu ral element, the
function of which is clear, and en riching its meaning.
The party wall and, in a more radical way, the fa~ade ,
exist of necessity, and as supports for other needs, such
as installations, become multi -functional in terms of
both t he construction of the b uilding and the occupants'
use: bearing walls and partitions are enriched by a
thickness of small cellars which may be penetrated by
lig ht and air.
What hitherto had supported function -th e installation-

becomes isolated and peripheral. Consequently,

rooms no longar need to be characterised in a concrete

way: their role may be undefined, while the installations
are regrouped in an attachment unconnected to the surrounding extension.
The home is no longer fo rmed from a set of rooms: it is
a space without functions and without partitions, a uniform space destined, in its neutrality, for habilitation. lt
is a "space to be conquered .
Thus, a strong contrast emerges between what is fixed
and what is mobile, between the structure and separation by means of partitions. The construction and the
services form the stable, "i mmobile " part of the dwelling, while the partitions slide around in what is temporary and movable: on the one hand, the "technical walls

100

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J.F. Delsalle - J .B. Laucourdre:

Projecte d e nou h8bitat
Competition entry for the new dwel ling
" PAN-1 4 " 11988)

A . Bal - S . Brunet
Projecte de nou habi t at
Competi tion entry for t h e new dwelling
Vivienda y Ciudad. Housing and the City 11990)

W . J . Neute lin9s - M. d e K ooning

Loft a Amberes, 1993
Loft in Antwerp, 1993

Y. Lion:

"D omus D emain"

Habita t per el s egle XXI
11984)
Habitat for the XXI -century
(1984 )

W . J. Neutelings - A . Wall X - de Geyter- F. Roodbeen:

HBbitat tipu s per e l concurs

Habi tatge i Ciutat 11990)

Typical unit for th e Housing and the
City competiti o n 11990)

101

arranged without great effort.

Envans mobils, envans espessos

El despla ~amen t rapid d'envans mobils (com
a resultat del disseny especfic de l'arq uitecte
o de !'amplia gamma que avui presenta la
indstria, sobretot en la distribuci
d 'oficines) permet eixamplar i subdividir
l 'espai en operacions efectuades rapidament,
diverses vegades al dia i mai irreversibles. 8
Aquesta flexibilitat ha de ser extremadament
simple en la seva concepci i en el seu
funcionament. Si pre nem com a exemple un
potencial de f lexibi litat ja existent en
qualsevol habitatge convencional, una porta
es pot obri r, entreobrir o tancar. La idea de
"flexi bilitat suau" se sost en casos ms
complexos sobre sistemes de plafons
d'al~arie s diferents -eve ntualment de
diversos batents- i fins i tot sobre
mecanismes d'armaris giratoris.
Un alt re sistema desenvolupat per ada ptar la
distribuci de l' habitatge a posteriors
transformacions s la de preveu re sistemes
de separaci evolutiva amb envans
desmuntables.
La nova noci de les cloisons-paisses
(envans espessos) s molt utilitzada en la
d istribu ci d'oficines i obre la possibi litat de
confecc ionar envans formats per dos o tres
muntants ve rticals d ' uns seixanta
centmetres d 'ampla ria. Aquest sistema t el
m erit d e proporcionar un bon a"ill ame nt
acstc, com tamb l' avantatge de crear
espais suggestius d'emmagatzematge
susceptibles de ser ordenats sense grans

The c/oisons paisses, situated at "stra-

esfor~os .

tegic" points in th e home, substitute the

Les cloisons-paisses situades a punts

"estrategics" de l'habitatge substitue ixen el
classic enva separador i, en lloc deis cinc a
sis centmetres normals, el seu espa i
restitueix la noci de "ll indar" de gruix, de
pas entre les habitacions. Dotades d ' endolls i
de te leton, s n capaces d'admetre moltes
apl icaci ons: plans de treball, suports pera
pantal les de vdeo, telefon ... Poden ser la
resposta als nous aparells de comunicaci de
l'habitatge. El modul de base podra ser la
porta isoplana d'unes mesures de 204 x 83 o
63 centmetres, un de is producte s de
construcc m s econom ics i un deis ms
generalitzats del mercat. 9

Movable Partitions, Thick Partitions

The rapid shifting of mobile partitions (th e
result of a specific d esign by the architect
or of the wide rang e today offered by industry (above all in office distribution)
makes it possible to extend and subdivide
space in operations quickly carried out, severa! times a day and never irreversible.
Th is flexibility must be extremely simple
in its conception and function. Taking as
an example the potential for flexibility already existing in any conventional home,
a door can be opened , half opened or
closed. Thi s idea of " gentle flexibility" is
sustained in more complex cases involving systems of panels of different heights
- occasionally of differing jambs- and
even mechanisms of revolving cupboards.
Another system developed to adapt the
distribution o f the home to subsequent
long-term transformations is that of anticipating systems of evol utionary separation
with partitions that can be dismantled.
The new notion of cloisons paisses (thick
partitions), much used in office distri bution, opens up the possibility of manufacturing partitions consisting of two or three
vertical uprights about sixty centimetres
wide. The advantage of this system is that
it salves the most serio us problem i n volved in evolutio na ry separation using
partiti ons -noise- an d that it creates
suggestive storage space which ca n be

classical separating partitions and, instead

of the usual five or six centimetres, their
space reinstales the notion of " threshold"
thickness, of passage between the rooms.
Provided with sockets and telephone, th ey
have a wide v ariety of applications: wo rk
surfaces, video scree n support s, telephone ... They may be the answer t o new
communication appliances in the home.
The base module could be the isoplane
door measuring some 204 x 83 or 63 centimetres, one of the most economical construction products most widely available
on the market.9

Steven Holl.
Vivends en Fukuoka, 1992 . Envans convertibles pera una vivenda tipu .
Fukuoka housing. 1992. Converti ble partition system of a housing unit.

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103

Convertible Elem ents and Tec hnical Networks

In the traditional house , i n spite of the rigidity of co nstructional systems, the arrangement of the furniture offers nonetheless sorne possibilities of adaptation to the
different needs of its occupiers.
In the new home, the design or use of conve rt ible elements (objects special ly designad or else industrial products already available on the market) can also allow for
flexibility in separation and a continua! recomposition
of space. These elements can be transformad or can disappear in a continuo us game of modification . Depend
ing on the convertibility of the furniture, the same place
can become different rooms, provided that the space is
only minimally divided up by partitions. The movable
ob jects play the same role as convertible panels or
sliding doors, except that here they are more versatile
in terms of use. Thus, instead of a "single-purpose"
space, a "multi-purpose" space is proposed which
forms successive sub-spaces.
The introduction of mass media into the home involves
new uses for which the archetypal traditional home is
not prepared. Grouping different functions in specific
pieces of transformable furniture may be a reply to the
juxtaposition of heterogeneous activities at the core of
the family unit.
In any case, this introduction of new communication
techniques and computers represents a multiplication of
the number of electrical networks inside the home, in a
dynamic reminiscent of that of the turn of the century
when electric wiring was introduced into housing. This
network must be sufficiently flexible to allow adaptation
to the needs of the occupants, that is, to allow for subsequen! extensions as well as its removal from one
place to another inside the house. This mobility in a uniform technical space is possible tod ay thanks to the
emergence of solutions already tried out in office buildings. Equipped surfaces and technical networks in floors
supplied with junct ion boxes allow for the flexibility of
the furniture. 10
Electrical , teleph o ne and television ne t works must
therefore make possible any subsequent distribution of
the home . A possible solution would be to place the
network in floating floor slabs, to which several "co nnection boxes" could be connected. 11 Another solution
would be cable lanes hung from the ceiling and running
through the whole house in order to ensure an electrical
distribution through ducts (after the surfaces have been
faced, thus doing away with the need for electrical
supply channels in the partition walls), which allows for
a problem-free wiring installation and modification."

Elements convertibles i xarxes tecniques

Caracteritzada per la rigidesa deis sistemes constructius, amb
les seves particions rgides, la casa tradicional ja presenta, no
obstant aixo, possibilitats d'adaptaci a les diverses
necessitats deis seus ocupants, d'acord amb la disposici
deis mobles.
Al nou habitatge, el disse ny o l a utilitzaci d'elements
convertibles (o bjectes projectats especia lment , o b p roductes
industrials ja ex istents en el mercat) poden permet re tamb
una flexibilitat en la separaci i una recomposici contnua de
l'e spai. Els objectes tec nics mobils poden desapareixer, es
poden transformar i participar en jocs continus de
modificacions. Segons la convertibilitat deis mobles de que es
disposi, un mateix ll oc pot ser diferents habitacions. Aixo va
lligat, nat uralment, a un espai amb prou feines separa t per
envans, com el Ioft; els o bject es mobils te nen el mateix paper
que els plafons co nvert ibles o les portes corred isses, pero en
aquesta ocasi amb una versatilitat d's ms gran.
Aix, dones, e n lloc d'un espai "un ivalen t" , es pro posa un espai
"poliva lent" que co nfo rma successius su bespais.
La introducci en massa deis mit ja ns de co m un icaci a
l' habitatge implica usos nous que l'a rquetip de l' habitatge
tradicional ja no co mp leix. El reagrupament en mob les
transformables es pecfics pot ser una resposta a la juxtaposici
d' activitats heterogenies al si del grup. familiar.
En tot cas, aq uesta introd ucci de les noves tecniques de la
comunicaci i de la informatica representa una multiplicaci de
la qua ntitat de xa r xes electriques a !' interior de l'habitatge, en
u na dinamica que reco rda la que al comen;:ament de segle van
vi ure els edifi cis qua n els cab les del corrent electrices va n
introduir a les cases.
Aquesta xarxa ha de ser prou f lexible com per permetre
l'adaptaci a les necess itats deis residents; sa dir, per ter
possible l' extensi del pare d' aquests nous mitja ns, com tamb
peral despla;:ament dins l'espai de l'habitatge.
Aquesta mobil itat en un espai tecnic uniforme s possible
actual m ent g racies a l'aparici de solucions ja experimentades
als edificis d'oficines. Pla ns equ i pats i xa r xes tec niq ues aterres
registrables permeten l'elasticitat del mobi liari.10
Les xarxes electri ques, telefoniques i televisives ha n de ter
possible, per tant, qualsevo l distribuci ulterior de l'habitatge.
Per aixo, una dispos ic i possible podria ser la collocaci de la
xa r xa en lloses flota nts al t erra, a les quals es poden connectar
diverses "caixes de con nexi". 11
Una altra soluci s la deis carrils de cab les penjats de l sastre
que travessen e ls habitatges i asseguren una distribuci
electrica per mitja de tubs (col locats desprs de l'acabat de
!'obra , suprimint les rega tes als envans), la qual cosa permet
te r tata l'estesa electrn ica de cables i modificar-la
sense problemes. 12

104

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Housing and the City (19901

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1. This article is a summary by the editorial staff of Qu dorns of

scvcral chapters from th e book by M. ElebVidal, A. M. ChAtolet
and Thicrry Mandoul, Penser l'llabit, le logemont en q11estion,

1. Aquest article s una versi resu mida, efectuada per Ouad11rn, d'a lgun!l
capltols d el llibre de M. Eleb-Vida l, A. M . Chltelet i T. Mandoul, Pensar
/'habit: le logement en question, ed. Pierre Mardaga, Lieja, 1988.

Pierre Mardaga, Liega, 1988.

2. Vegeu el capltolll, punt 6: "Fixibilt" , op. cit., pag . 102-107.

2. See chapter 11, point 6: " Fiexibilit" , op. cit., pp. 102107.
3. See chapter 111, point 1: "La place des nouvelles tochnologies... ,

3. Vegeu el capltollll, punt 1: "La place des nouvelles technologies ... , op.
cit., pag. 115 120.

op. cit., pp. 115120.

4. Vegeu el capital "Conclusion ", op. cit. , pag. 163-164.
4. See the chapter "Conclusion", op. cit., pp. 163184.
5. The set of compact elemenl s in otfices, factories or warehouses
made it necessary lo solve design and assembly problems charac
teristic of chain production. The spatial conception of living as an
empty Ioft (a mere reutilisation of industrial spaces in which ditfer
ent forms of use are placed without any previous forecast) makes
it possible to open this field for domestic application. The partitio
ning of home spaces is possible now thanks to foldable, mobile,
immobile and transferrable panels (10, 20, 30 and up to 150 cm in
width and up to 16 m in height), which otfer excellent solution s of

5. El conjunt de nuclis creats pera l'activitat productiva (oficinas, fabriques

o magatzems) ha obligat a resoldre problemas de disseny i muntatge propis
de la producci en cadena. La concepci espacial de l'habitatge coma Ioft
buit (una simple reutilitzaci deis espais industrials on se situen diferents
usos sense que hagi existit cap possible previsi inicial ) permet abrir aquest
campen la seva aplicaci domestica. La compartimentaci de l'espai de
l'habitatge s ara possible mitjan<;;ant lames plegables, mobils o
despal<;;ables. Aquestes lames (amb amplades des d eis 10 als 150 cm. i
al<;;ades fins als 12m.) oferei xen so lucions optimes d'a'illament acstic i de
resistencia al toe.

sound insulation and fire resistence.

6. Vegeu el capital 11, punt 6: "Fixibilit", o p. cit., pag. 105-106.

6. See chapter 11, point6:4: " Fiexibilit", op. cit., pp. 105106.

7. See chapter 111, point 2: " Des blocs et refends techniques... , op.
cit., pp. 121-123
8. Available on the market are sliding panels with an embeddable
preframe of the same width as the masonry wall o r the plaster
pa rtition . Th e options ranga derives from th e dimensions of th e

7. Vegeu el captollll, punt 2: "Des blocs et refends techniques... " , op. cit.,
pag. 121-123.
8. Existeixen ja al mercat plafons corredissos amb un premarc encastable i
amb una amplada igual a la del mur d'obra o de l'enva de cartr-guix. La
gamma d'opcions deriva de les dimensions de les portes dissenyades "a
mida" i de les normalitzades (no rm es UNE, ISO, DIN ).

"custo m-mad e" d oors, according lo UNE, ISO and DIN stan dard s.
9. The ringshaped spatial distributions -which include wall sec
tions, floors and ceilings- form a versatile Ira me for any technical
or energetic devices. Normally all the components (partitions,
doors, windows, cupboards, etc) are standarised according to referential sizes (600900 mms between axes, heights between 400
and 2050 mms), providing all kinds of possible combinations. The
materi als used -high pressure laminates, ABS, PVC, aluminium
and glass-, though light, are resistan! and stable. See chapter 11,

9. Les distribucions espacials anu lars - que int egren els paraments del terra,
paret i sastre- formen una retcula versatil que possibi lita qualsevol
installaci tecnica, energetica, informatica o d e comunicaicons.
Normalment es normalitzen tots els elements components (envan s, portes,
finestres, armaris, etc.) segons unes mides de referencia (600 a 900 mm.
entre eixos i al<;;ades entre els 400 i 2050 mm.), proporcionan! tot tipus de
combinacions possibles. Els materials utilitzats -laminats d'alta pressi,
ABS, PVC, alumini i vid re- sn lleugers pero resistents i estables. Vegeu el
captolll, punt 6: "Fixibilit", op. cit., pag. 108 110.

point 6: "Fiexi bilit" , op. cit., pp. 108 11 0.

10. l nstallation ducts: Raised floors, double ceilings, tracks, float
ing wall sections constitute an integrated system of communica
tion networks and e nergy supply which require a foreseeable
space. The surface o f either tiles (600x600 mm with thicknesses
between 30 and 40 m m ) or plaques (highdensity wo oden board
support, linoleum, cork, metal, vinyl, etc) is raised to between 20

10. Pas d'installacions: sois elevats tcnics, falsos sastres, carrils,

paraments flotants. Tots ells registables, conformen u n sistema integrador
de xarxes de comunicaci i aport energtic que requereixen una reserva
d'espai (a travs de petites lloses de 600x600 mm. i 30 o 40 mm. de gruix, o
b de plaques amb suport de tauler de fusta d' alta densitat, acabats amb
estrat i ficat s, linoleum, suro, metall, vinil, etc., la superficie deis qua ls s'eleva
de 20 a 60 cm. per ta l de permetre la connexi del cablejat a qualsevol punt).

and 60 cm to permit the wiring to be connected at any point.

11. The systems o f sanitary i nstallation s out of the wall (between
15 and 25 cms) avoid the disadvantages of usual methods (such as
the lost of bearing capa city o r the noises by placing the water
ducts inside the masonry w allsl guaranteeing in turn an optimal
hygiene and maintenance level.
12. See chapter 111, point 2: " Des blocs et refends techniques ... ,

op. cit., pp. 130134.

(Notes 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11 by lgnasi Prez Arnal)

11. Els sistemes d'inst allacions sanitarias per dava nt de la paret permeten
evitar els inconvenients d'integrar-los dins les parets (les regates que
redueixen la seva capacita! portant, o la transmissi del soroll deis
consueles en contacte ambla fabrica), garantint alhora un nivell maxim
d'higiene i un bon manteniment. L'espai necessari pera la installaci
oscilla entre els 15 i els 25 cm.
12. Vegeu el capitollll, punt 2: "Des blocs et refends techniques ... ", op. cit.,
pag. 130-134.
Notes 5, 8, 9, 10 i 11: lgnasi Prez Arnal

106