THE WHOLE OF A SUM OF PARTS

A colourful collection of buildings, each with distinct characters that together form a coherent ensemble, this project is helping revive a historic neighbourhood of Palma

Located in Palma, the capital and a resort city of the Spanish island of Mallorca, Project Gomila is a collection of buildings, each with their own individual characters derived from their colours, materials and rooflines. Designed by MVRDV and GRAS Reynés Arquitectos, the project is transforming the area around Plaza Gomila in the neighbourhood of El Terreno. The construction of the first five of the seven buildings that make up Project Gomila is complete, adding a total of 60 new dwellings of various sizes and types, as well as new commercial spaces. With this first phase, Project Gomila is already well on the way to reviving El Terreno as a vibrant, green, sustainable residential neighbourhood.

Centred around Plaza Gomila, close to the city’s harbour, El Terreno is a historic neighbourhood of Palma that in the ‘60s and ‘70s was known for its nightlife, with performances by famous musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles and Tom Jones at its bohemian nightclubs. After a long period of neglect and decline, the Fluxà family, owners of the Mallorcabased Camper shoe brand, purchased a series of neighbouring plots around the Plaza, initiating a renewal plan that echoed Camper’s philosophy of combining heritage with innovation and creativity.

The five buildings completed in phase one include the Gomila Center, which forms the heart of the neighbourhood. A renovation of a 1979 design by architect Pere Nicolau on the ground floor, this white building features a spacious patio, with a restaurant, office spaces, and apartments rising around the central feature in a series of stepping terraces and balconies. Next to the Gomila Centre are the red townhouses known as Las Casitas, which are topped by a landscape of rooftop terraces allowing neighbouring residents to socialise together.