GOIÁNS SOCIAL CENTRE
The community as an icon in rural Galicia
Goians is the only community in Carballo without a social centre. The nearly 500 residents of this community, known for its baking tradition, must travel to the county town in order to have a place to gather.
The social centre project in Carballo was conceived in response to this territorial reality marked by depopulation and dispersion. In a context where homes are isolated and community life is diluted, the building is conceived as a gesture of gathering: a physical and symbolic meeting point for the community.
THE COMMUNITY AS AN ICON
Located in a small valley visible from the three nearby roads, the building also takes on a representative role, becoming a recognisable landmark for the community. Formally, the project represents the sum of different gabled houses which, when joined together, form a single volume. This aggregation is not only a compositional decision, but also a statement of intent: the community understood as the sum of individualities. Each roof evokes the domestic scale, familiar and approachable, while their union constructs a new collective identity.
GALICIAN VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
The proposal draws on Galician vernacular architecture — characterised by thick walls, small openings and steeply pitched roofs — reinterpreting these elements through a contemporary lens. This closed and opaque exterior is surprising once inside, where courtyards, the covered porch extending from the assembly hall, and a series of strategically placed openings bring light into every room.
A FOLDED CONCRETE PLANE
A floating concrete roof rests upon a perfect square plan of 21 × 21 metres, which accommodates the entire programme. As if it were a sheet of paper, the 20 cm reinforced concrete slab gains stiffness through folding, bearing only on its two ends.
MINIMUM MATERIAL, MAXIMUM ECONOMY
In order to make the building as efficient and cost-effective as possible, the roof uses the minimum amount of material: a red sprayed waterproofing layer on the exterior and a sprayed rockwool insulation layer on the interior. Both also serve as finishes.
FOLDS BY DESIGN
The building houses an assembly hall, an exhibition space and a small kitchen, organised under a folded reinforced concrete roof that unifies the whole. The folds articulate the different uses through variations in height and light, while maintaining spatial continuity and the perception of a single shared environment.
Functionally, the community centre is conceived as a flexible and open space, capable of hosting neighbourhood meetings, cultural activities, workshops and celebrations. More than just a facility, the project aspires to become a catalyst for relationships, a place where shared life can once again have presence and continuity. A meeting point for those who see culture as a natural way of caring for the land, building connections and, ultimately, living better in a rural environment.
The building not only occupies a physical void, but also aims to activate a social void.
