House among sequoia and chesnut trees

'House among sequoia and chesnut trees'

typology: Residential, Private

status: Direct commission, Built
location: San Lorenzo del Escorial, Madrid, Spain
office: Henka Arquitectos
project architects - designers - construction management: Yonatham González Varo & Monique Phou

photography: Henka Arquitectos

completed in 2006

built spain residential architecture wood San Lorenzo Escorial Extension

Its location in the historical heritage site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid doesn't allow any private expansion wich would not respect the massive mineral buildings and a historic style.

Finally, after 6 months of debate, the municipal councyl has accepted to deliver the license for the proposal to build the added volume in the garden thanks to the minimal impact of its wraparound mimetic barked regarding the street planted with centenary chesnut trees.

This historic little building was designed as a small fabric guard's house.

Actually, it presents a single storey with three floors to the streets, occupying a corner in a dwelling colony with strong regulatory restrictions in the center of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Madrid, Spain.

The lower level is situated under the garden level and the first level is at the same of a quiet garden of old centenary sequoia trees.

In its previous state, a staircase and a little barred window don't let the house to be articulated with its garden. The use of this floor was condemned to be isolated and with a lack of sunlight and the southwest views.

The owners of this construction were seeking to rehabilitate and expand the three floors building into a family house and to open it to the wooded garden. To achieve this aim, the project lead to renew totally the indoor and to build a new volume in order to provide a smoothly transition towards the sunshine raised garden and the daily level which contains the kitchen, a toilet, the dining room with its fireplace and the library.

In the outdoor, two mayor materials were chosen:
- the dark board finished aspect of the porcelain stoneware rectified tiles (board is the main stone used in the region)
- in contrast with the iroko wood with the purpose to mimic with the secoyas and the beautiful centenarian horse chestnuts.

The external view from the street doesn't show the surprise until the final part of the ascent by the external staircase where the added volume accommodates the new living-room.

Es. Esta antigua casa de guardia de fábrica de tres plantas en una colonia residencial en el casco urbano de San Lorenzo de El Escorial ha sido totalmente reformada en su interior.

Su planta intermedia, la de día donde se ubican la entrada principal, el sálon, el comedor, la cocina y un aseo de cortesía, disfruta de un agradable jardín elevado donde una extensión acristalada vestida con la corteza del entorno sirve de sutil transición entre el interior y su soleado jardín de sequoias centenares dando a las copas de unos también centenares castaños de la India.