The Whole Process.
Nicole Community Center
The 'Galpón Comunitario' is a multipurpose building that fosters and integrates culture, sports, and social life, providing space for various support activities such as tutoring, children's meals, and after-school care.
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Virrey del Pino. La Matanza, Buenos Aires, Argentina. | ARG 004 | |
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360 mts.2 |  |
Finished: March 1, 2020. |
| Phase | Delivered. | Type | Community facilities. |
| Target Group | Children and emerging communities. | Partner | - |
| Client | Asociacion Civil 26 de Julio. | Donor | - |
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Upcycing and sourcing local materias: Bioclimatic design. | ||
1. Observe.
Why, context, challenge.
A territory born out of necessity
This process of local territorial urbanization was realized with the support of sociologists and the community organization "26 de Julio". It refers to providing support, guidance, and monitoring from a sociological perspective.It involved observing and analyzing social dynamics, relationships, and issues to ensure an initiative to addresses the community's needs effectively.Within this context, the neighborhood has achieved important improvements in infrastructure
and services, such as the installation of a school, a health center, water networks, and public transport. However, these advances coexist with ongoing conditions of vulnerability: housing shortages, unequal access to essential services, informal labor, and economic instability.The population is predominantly young, with a high presence of children and adolescents who require spaces for care, educational support, and social protection. Many families face difficulties in maintaining full educational trajectories and accessing cultural or recreational activities beyond school.
The need for a shared space: In this scenario, the project responds to a collective need: the absence of an integrated community space that brings together education, food support, culture, and social gathering. A place that strengthens the neighborhood’s social fabric and offers real opportunities for everyday development, especially for children.
2. Identify.
Who, target, user, facts.
59%
• 59% — Population under 25 years old, indicating a predominantly young community with high demand for education, care, and youth-oriented spaces.
41%
• 41 % — Children under 14 years old, representing a large dependent population requiring daily support, learning spaces, and social protection.
40%
• 40% — Households that do not cover the basic food basket, reflecting significant levels of economic vulnerability and food insecurity within the neighborhood.
3. Approach.
How, strategy, interact
Architecture as a Collective Framework
The project is developed through a collaborative process between the community and AUG, understanding architecture as a shared process rather than an imposed solution.The main strategy is to create a flexible space capable of adapting to multiple daily uses: after-school support, community meals, cultural activities, and neighborhood gatherings.
The approach prioritizes active listening to the territory and translating these needs into an open, simple, and appropriable architectural system.It also seeks to ensure the project’s self-sustainability through complementary uses, encouraging small-scale community economic dynamics. Architecture is understood as a tool for care, integration, and strengthening of the existing social fabric.
4. Design.
Programmering, development, co-create.
An open space for community life
The “Community Shed” is conceived as a flexible cultural and social center designed to host educational, cultural, sports, and neighborhood activities, with a capacity of approximately 100 people.The project is organized as a fluid transition between enclosed and open spaces, integrating a main covered hall with an outdoor amphitheater. This relationship expands the building’s use into the neighborhood, reinforcing its open and collective character.cross ventilation, and solar control through the pitched roof, along with local construction techniques.
Functional everyday program It includes support areas such as a reception and bar, which also function as a meeting point and potential source of economic support, as well as offices, restrooms, storage, and a multipurpose room for workshops and community activities.
Structure and climate. The building is structured into four parts: roof, support areas, storage, and multifunctional hall. Bioclimatic strategies are incorporated, including proper orientation, cross ventilation, and solar control through the pitched roof, along with local construction techniques.The result is an accessible and adaptable space that supports daily community life and strengthens the neighborhood’s social fabric.
Meeting with the community organization
05/16
Visit site
06/16
Drawing
04/17
First project presentation
05/17
Final project presentation
03/20
Who participate
Quique Bayarri Sabariego
Architect - Project Achitect - quique@augnorge.org
Quique Bayarri holds a degree in architecture from the Universitat Politècnica de València, with additional studies in Delft, Madrid, and Granada. Quique has extensive and solid experience at Norwegian architectural firms, ranging from concept development to the execution phase of both residential and office buildings. He has been collaborating with Architects Without Borders Norway (AUG) since 2017 and has been a board member since 2018. He is equally dedicated to finding the best concept for a project as he is to its expression through detailed construction work. With a particular interest in sustainable architecture and construction techniques, he firmly believes that architecture must be influenced by the place where it is built and designed with a primary focus on the users. Quique uses photography as an active tool to explore architecture and the reality around us.
Paola Bornaschella
Architect - Design Director - paola@augnorge.org
Paola holds a master’s degree in architecture from the Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Urbanism at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. Paola has a solid experience in architectural design across all phases and scales—from small private buildings to large, complex projects such as masterplans, healthcare facilities, and multifunctional buildings. Paola is a founder, the current design director, and board member of AUG. She is passionate about social architecture. Guided by the belief that architecture is a powerful tool for social change, she advocates for inclusive design that fosters safety, dignity, and equal opportunity—especially in communities where it's needed most.
Nerina Gomez
Architect
Melina Cauchich
Architect - Local Architect - melina@augnorge.org
Melina Cauchich is an architect with complementary training in Fine Arts and extensive experience in planning and executing civil works, gained through more than ten years of work in architectural firms and the infrastructure department of a multinational company. Since 2016, she has been part of Architects Without Borders, playing a key role as a liaison between local communities in Argentina and the team of architects in Norway (AUG). Her work focuses on identifying needs, developing comprehensive projects, and supporting their implementation—always prioritizing collaboration and a positive social impact in favor of sustainable and inclusive architecture.
Walter Bosisio
Sociologist
Isabel Lopez Ruiz
Architect - isabel@grape.no
Isabel Ruiz is an architect from Spain, based in Oslo since 2009. Her Mediterranean background has shaped a strong interest in public life, urban culture, and the role of inclusive spaces in creating meaningful everyday environments. She holds a Master's degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, complemented by a postmaster in mapping and advanced training in analytical tools such as ArcGIS.Her work focuses on the intersection between social sustainability, feminist architecture, and urban development. Isabel is particularly interested in how design processes can amplify diverse voices and address inequalities in the built environment. Through her involvement with Architects Without Borders, she contributed to a project in Ethiopia, where participatory methods and local knowledge were central to the design approach.Isabel combines research, analysis, and practice to develop strategies that prioritize care, inclusion, and lived experience. She is also co-founder and chair of InnoArch, promoting innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration in architecture.
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