Terra de Mar Cooperative: Industrialised construction with SuperPan® Tech Vapourstop EZ

A pioneering initiative for social housing under a cooperative scheme
The Terra de Mar project is a pioneering social housing initiative under a cooperative system located in Palamós (Girona). It is promoted by Sostre Cívic in close collaboration with the Palamós City Council. This project, which departs from the traditional real estate model, was designed by UMMA Arquitectura and built by OSG Serveis Grup.

The City Council has granted the cooperative surface rights to a 1000 m² plot of municipally owned land. The land transfer took place at the end of 2020 and was agreed upon for a period of 75 years, at which time the land will revert to the municipality.

34 officially protected housing units under a cooperative use agreement
The objective of the Terra de Mar initiative is to increase the stock of housing in Palamós intended for social policies, to meet the needs for decent, stable and affordable housing for young people or priority groups such as single-parent families or people over 65.

The development has 34 officially protected homes, distributed over the ground floor and five floors, plus 34 parking spaces in the basement. In addition, a provision of complementary collective spaces and passive conditioning elements for the interior comfort of the homes has been included. The building has been designed to the highest standards of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability , it has an A energy rating and the VERDE environmental certification for sustainable construction (from the Green Building Council Spain ), being the first cooperative housing in Spain to obtain this distinction.

Industrialised dry construction to guarantee project efficiency
The building envelope is resolved with a lightweight timber frame facade, combined with SuperPan® Tech panels by Finsa and triple wood fibre insulation. This system was produced industrially in a workshop for subsequent dry assembly on the site itself.

By moving manufacturing to the workshop, quality control is optimised, and construction incidents are minimised. For its part, dry assembly speeds up the construction schedule, reduces waste and eliminates material drying times. These efficiencies are key to ensuring the economic viability of the project, a critical factor in a cooperative model with very tight budget margins.

SuperPan® Tech Vapourstop EZ: watertightness and structural strength
The SuperPan® Tech Vapourstop EZ is a structural board of technical class P5 that is composed of wood fibre faces and particle interior, airtight with a water vapour barrier for use in light framing and suitable for humid environments.

Its high mechanical strength is not conditioned by the direction of the board, which simplifies installation and reduces material waste. The combination of high resistance to water vapour transmission and air tightness makes it a suitable component for lightweight frame systems under the Passivhaus standard.

Category: Living
Application: Lightweight framing in exterior enclosure
Materials: SuperPan® Vapourstop
Promoter: Sostre Civic
Construction company: OSG Serveis Group