Abandoned prison transformed into homeless shelter, soup kitchen along Spanish coast
What was once a crumbling abandoned prison along the coast of Tarragona, Spain is now the El Roser Social Center, a supportive shelter that houses and employs people facing homelessness.
The center, which includes shelters, a soup kitchen, and gathering spaces, is the first of its kind in Spain to combine all of these social services under one roof. It opened in 2022, about a century after the prison was first built.
Photo by Adrià GoulaThe prison closed in the mid-20th century and later reopened as a preschool before once again shutting its doors. Now, its third life has provided help to thousands in the small coastal city.
Listed as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest and included as an architectural heritage site of Catalonia, the site gave Barcelona architect Josep Ferrando and Reus architecture firm Gellego Arquitectura a challenging renovation.
Ferrando wanted to maintain much of the existing structure of the facility, “to recover its constructive essence and discover the memory of the place,” per Dezeen.
Designers added modern features to the historic building. Photo by Adrià GoulaHe added that peeling back “the various time strata” of the building was important to him, revealing hidden layers and structures for a nuanced experience in the space.
What was once a prison yard is now a public outdoor patio, for example. Designers also kept the prison’s original doorway and integrated new windows and fixtures that are similar to the originals.
The courtyard is now a public gathering space for anyone to visit. Photo by Adrià GoulaThe Rues City Council selected this site for redevelopment as part of the city’s efforts for renewal and carbon efficiency, while still maintaining its hundred-year-old history.
A "before" photo of the facility's hallways during construction. Photo by Adrià Goula“The argument for not demolishing a building was primarily a question of heritage conservation,” Ferrando told Dezeen.
“The inestimable loss of heritage and memory is associated with the equally important loss of incorporated energy that a new building replacing the existing one cannot compensate for.”
While the exterior design is clean and minimalistic, with stylish exposed brick, warm furnishings, and additions make it an inviting space to all who visit and reside there.
An austere cafeteria that is often bustling with visitors. Photo by Adrià GoulaThe soup kitchen is located in a steel and glass addition to the building, which also adds a sense of freshness to the original structure.
It also adds real jobs for people in need.
According to a press release from the Reus City Council, the facilities had reached a year of full capacity in late 2023. In that time, the Roser Social Center employed 26 people “with difficulties entering the ordinary labor market” and hosted 54 people through its Limited Stay Residential Service.
Workers assemble meals in the center's soup kitchen. Photo courtesy of Reus City CouncilThe soup kitchen also fed 2,450 people in its first year of operation. In addition to sit-down meals, the facilities include a pantry that quickly “established itself as one of the largest food distribution centers in the city.”
The food pantry amounts to about 38% of all food services at the center. Photo courtesy of Reus City Council“It is a very social resource [that is] important for our city,” said councilor of the Area of Services to People and Social Rights of the Reus City Council, Anabel Martínez.
Those staying in the temporary living quarters also have access to showers and laundry. Photo courtesy of Reus City Council“Both the food service, which offers healthy and fresh food to people in a situation of vulnerability, and the Limited Stay Residential service, which is a solution to the temporary accommodation needs of adults in a situation of social exclusion … It offers a quality reception space and a stability that allows the development of work plans with greater guarantees of support, efficiency and social care.”
As one example of a growing body of “social architecture” marvels, El Roser Social Center has been a success in Tarragona, with plans to expand its support even further.
An "after" photo of the hallways inside of El Roser Social Center, a much more inviting scene for guests. Photo by Adrià Goula“We are exploring the possibility of implementing a project based on the housing first model, that is, shared homes,” Martínez added. “A new model that consists of accompanying people in a homeless situation so that they can recover their autonomy, as well as their personal, social and work skills.”
Header image by Adrià Goula