“La Troballa” Workshop School is part of a strategic global proposal to improve the conditions of the Arrels Foundation facilities and aid in their task of caring for the homeless. The project consisted in adapting an old workshop to manufacture flags in Ciutat Vella to become the new headquarters of this workshop school.

“La Troballa” was created in 2001 to welcome the neediest homeless people. It is a space devoted to personal restructuring that allows them to make use of free time and re-learn personal and social habits through arts and crafts.

Over the years, the foundation has added spaces for training and selling the products manufactured, either with direct customer service or filling orders. The success of the initiative has led to the need for a space fitting of its increased activity, the progressive incorporation of new specialties and the necessary visibility of what is done there.

For this reason, the foundation decided to move from its existing premises to a hundred-year-old space with three times the surface area, located on a first-rate shopping street close to the main social resources of its principal users, and with excellent conditions for their activities, in terms of space and functionality.

The board of directors of the foundation participated throughout the design process, including some who are themselves homeless.

To fit the premises to the needs of the foundation, an urban campus strategy was used, putting the network of spaces intended for the homeless as close as possible to this group.

The space inside the premises is set aside for a learning workshop. The large room is a ​​ common work area, with tables and work benches arranged in an open space.