This is a single-family house, but quite a large one, something over 5 hundred square meters, site is narrow and long and sloped towards south.
Two different schemes superimposed one on top the other; a longitudinal one, based on spatial forking, and the one underneath, based on a hand fingers like configuration. As a result, it is a fractured mass, ruled by the rhythm of the roof structure.
Article source: María Langarita and Víctor Navarro
Perhaps more than anything else, it is the very strangeness of the diverging intentions found in the La Serrería Belga adaptation project for the Medialab-Prado that makes it possible for them to coexist, though not without a certain measure of irony.
The first of these caustic coexistences stems from a certain institutional schizophrenia. While the ‘Paseo del Arte’ was transformed into Madrid City Hall’s banner to attract international tourism, an architectural competition was simultaneously promoted in the same area, which would end up serving an institution that sponsored debates that were deeply critical of this model.
Collaborators: Elena Castillo, Marta Colón, Javier González Galán, Roberto González, Juan Palencia, Guillermo Trapiello, Gonzalo Gutiérrez, Paula García-Masedo
Sanchinarro is a residential suburb on the north east edge of Madrid. Surrounded by highways, with views towards the Guadarrama Mountains.
The building was developed as a reference point for the city extension and region at large, as a counterpoint against the massive uniformity of the surrounding blocks. The 22 level building acts as a frame for the distant landscape. The large lookout at 40 metres above the ground provides inhabitants and neighbours with a community garden and a space from where they can contemplate the skyline. The proposal opens domestic architecture to the new city environment and to its surrounding territories.
A well-known ‘Dame of the Theater’, single, 65 years of age, whose dream was to have a swimming pool at home, commissions us the refurbishment of a dark dwelling between party walls in the center of Madrid. The demands: satisfying her desire of having that pool, a loft with an elevator, and abundant natural light.
The main purpose of the reform is to gain quality in the interior spaces as well as rehabilitating the degraded status of the housing. The ground floor will be higher with free height above the living room to the top. The attic will be accessible and livable.
Two months ago, on March 31st, the opening ceremony of the new Museo Arqueológico Nacional took place. There is no doubt that it was an event that had been long waited for. A clear example of this, is the large amount of visitors that it has attracted during the first couple of weeks. A figure over 5000 visitors per day. Even though the museum has only been closed down for two and a half years out of the six that the construction lasted, it was clear to see that the re-opening generated a lot of expectation.
To make a building of 4.75m width and 13m length not look narrow might be impossible. Nevertheless, interiors were supposed to be spacious and generous. Time to rethink traditional systems! So we developed a façade concept that occupies only 18cm and offers perfect insulation for both cold and heat. Columns are visible in the interior.
The relation between in and out is very much perceptible in the whole building. Due to its proportions, you may see the sun rise and set without leaving the room.
Being used to the spacial restrictions typical for a city with high density like Madrid, a 1 800m2 (19 370 sqft) plot almost makes you feel lost when you first enter it. We found it extremely important to create a home that integrates the outdoor space and makes it liveable. The climate is very dry and hot in summer, on the other hand you can use terraces all over the year if they are a little protected against sun, wind and rain.
The new Repsol corporate headquarters, by the Spanish architect Rafael de La-Hoz, receives LEED Platinum certification as one of the most sustainable buildings in Europe
The highest distinction for newly constructed buildings is awarded by the prestigious U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED NC (New Construction and Major Renovations) certification guaranties that the entire building has been designed and built according to the most demanding sustainability criteria.
The decision to build a new house in a 1950’s neighbourhood of single family dwellings had to confront the by-laws which not only prohibited the demolition of a previously existing building lacking any architectural value, but also explicitly protected the original construction materials as well as its volume, covered by a hipped roof. Our proposal produces an in-depth transformation of the building on the basis of just two architectural operations: a new wood envelope around the existing volume of the old house, and a central spine that runs through the full height of the interior spaces.
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