Twenty-one plateaus and seven volumes tell the story of this house.
The aim of the project is to give a new and even identity to a house belonging to the same family for several generations. The original house formed by the aggregation of different interventions at different times, with different construction systems. Each of the rooms in the house describes a moment in life of this family story. Thus it was essential to maintain the structure, spaces, uses, garden and memories, presenting them in a new way.
This project intervened in a site resulting from gutting the interior of two historic (listed) buildings. We conceived the new building from the conservation of the historic façades, whose stability was assured by buttressing them with a metallic structure. Taking these façades as our starting point, we worked out a strategy to erect one building where two stood previously. We then set out to consolidate the height of the new slabs. To bridge the gap in preexisting elevations, we placed the open staircase-patio on the front of the building at no. 33, setting back the new volumen. In this way, the slabs would not face old gaps.
The Project consists on a set of semi-detached houses located on the edge of the city of Barcelona, bordering Collserola’s natural area.
Three challenges backbone the proposal on the one hand the need for a formal dialogue with an existing house, on the other its integration with the surrounding green space and finally the possibility of incorporating passive and active systems that advance the building`s commitment to environmental sustainability.
The 4-in-1 house is located in a quiet residential area, at the top of a leafy hill in the outskirts of the city. From an architectural point of view, it is possible to distinguish the four ways of living, after which the house is named, since they are spatially and constructively qualified:
1. The leisure experience. The basement, lighted by patios and skylights, is the scene for game and amusement. Fun starts in the car park, where see the swimming pool can be seen from a “rear window”. The pavement, made out of stained stamped concrete, solves the contact between the house and the ground. This level, in the form of a zigzagging fissure across the plot, houses the vehicle access and the car park.
The building is located in a dense urban area with a poor road infrastructure and practically no open spaces. The old market was demolished, as its structure was completely obsolete. The new Multifunctional Building has the aim of re-using the place in a more intensive way.
“Thinking on a 21th. Century library -as a friend of mine would say-, is like wondering about a book´s cemetery”. At that point, all efforts must conciliate architectonic non-variable values as sequence, promenade and staying with immateriality brought by new technologies. There is no other solution than sharing jealously material space with virtuality to avoid Carballo´s newest building ending as book warehouse.
The Roman Walls of Lugo, built between the late third century and early fourth century A.D, is the only complete roman fortification that is preserved in the world, and therefore, one of the most important monument of the Iberian Peninsula. The Roman Wall and the Historic Center of the walled enclosure have the highest level of patrimonial protection in Galicia and was declared in November 2000 a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The plot of the intervention is located inside the walls, next to the entrance to the public gardens of the council building. The plot has two main entrances, one from the inner round of the wall [still incomplete] by the West, and the second, through the Romans Lane, which communicates with San Marcos street, on the South. In the target area, the wall has a lower height than in the rest of its route. The Romans Lane, which connects the gardens with San Marcos street, serves the Council buildings and the National Insurance Institute, and has a secondary character in the old town scene. On the street there is already a communications tower of strong vertical component and great height. Also, the views from the street are altered by the distant vision of the party wall of a building located in the outer round. On the east side, from the parapet of the wall and inside the garden of the council, the large sized magnolias existing work as a screen minimizing the visual impact of the new element.
The new swimming pool and the studio are built in the back of the courtyard of an existing house. The studio is a pure volume that flies over the pool, facing the existing house. The pool is proposed as a sheet of water at the same level as the terrace.
The swimming pool is finished with the same stone as the terrace, detailing the lights and pipe-ends so that they are invisible.
“The original idea for the design was based on enjoying and enhancing the panoramic views of the setting, by creating a relaxing contemplative environment that allows enjoying the experience provided by the place.”
Article source: Ruiz Velazquez Architectura and design
In the attic of an emblematic building of classical early 20thcentury Madrid, this new concept of living space is placed: UNLIMITED SPACE is presented by architect Héctor Ruiz-Velázquez and built out of total freedom of layers. As if the design would be a three-dimensional object, every one of the rooms or points of the home can be located by specifying the axis of coordinates.
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