ARQUITECTURA-G was commissioned to transform a 150sqm groundfloor studio into an apartment. In the context of a low budget, the key decision was to act only over the interior layout and the floor. The original walls of the house have remained intact so the intervention, basic but categorical, consists in the articulation of space by a set of vertical planes. The Project pursues the visual relation with the outside terrace, being light and vegetation constant across the oblique arrangement of the project’s elements. This oblique arrangement strangles and widens space, creating spots of different kind. This new partitions don’t actually touch the original walls or reach the height of the ceiling, making clear the difference between the new and what already was there. As for the choice of materials, there is a pronounced Mediterranean accent. Vertical surfaces are covered in shiny materials such as glazed ceramic tile or mirror, so the light coming from the outdoor terrace is multiplied. In addition to the reflection of light, we see the contrast between the pure geometry of the new partitions and wild vegetation in their reflections. The floor is finished with ceramic as well, but in this case with unglazed clay tiles, which brings a dose of warmth in contrast to vertical planes.

Work: Apartment in el Putxet, Barcelona
Architects: ARQUITECTURA-G (Jonathan Arnabat, Jordi Ayala-Bril, Aitor Fuentes, Igor Urdampilleta)
Sponsor: Mr Nacho Alegre
Location: Barcelona (Spain)
Remodeled Surface: 150sqm
Project Year: 2011
Construction Year: 2012
Budget: Low
Photo: ©José Hevia