b-ing Architecture
AUGUST, Collserolla
NOOK Architects
NOOK Architects completed this residential project in 2023. The refurbished house covers three levels and is located on the periphery of Barcelona, on the foothills of the Collserola. The unusual layout reflects the ambitions of the original project.
The architects provided the text below.
On the southern slopes of Collserola we find a group of green structures, homes designed by architect Joan Bosch Agustí, construction of which was completed in 1978. The complex was conceived as a cooperative housing project, with a shared swimming pool, parking lot, entrances and exterior spaces. Each volume is composed of seven units, four intended for residential use and three as offices or studios. These are rational constructions, which exhibit several principles of modern architecture.
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The home we remodelled is the result of joining together two such units and dividing the interior space into six half-storey levels. It is a home with no corridors, in which the staircase serves as a landing, connecting the various spaces and uses. This concept of half levels also extends to the outside, with a succession of four tiered terraces that descend to the garden on the lower level.
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The challenge of this project lies in streamlining the functionality of these spaces, assigning each a specific a specific use and conforming them to the personality of the owners. And all without compromising the interconnectedness and flexibility of the spaces, or the essence of the original project, which prioritised the connection to the outside, the views of Barcelona and interior cross-views.
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The two levels have the same function, each with a bedroom, a study/work area and a bathroom; designed as micro-units within the whole.
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The middle levels accommodate everyday common areas, of which the lowermost levels serve as an extension, yet with a more recreational or festive use, and to provide a direct connection with the garden. The bottom level may also be transformed into a guest bedroom if needed.
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The project emphasises the fixed furniture and fittings, multifunctional elements which serve to delimit the space and provide protection against falls, as well as desks, storage units, a dining area and even sofas. These elements also contain the interior plants, to which great importance has been attached in an effort to ensue their presence throughout the home. This is possible thanks not only to the cross-views but also because of the unitary treatment each receives.
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The custom designed furnishing make it possible to fully adapt the existing spaces, streamlining them and offsetting the restrictions caused by the changes in level.
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Both the proposed materials and colour scheme are based on the original project, with the presence of ceramics in different formats, natural oak and render. These pre-existing colours, the deep red of the exterior doors and windows, the green facings and terracotta elements were extended to the new furniture and fittings, seamlessly integrating them into the new proposal.
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The refurbishment has resulted in neutral, light filled and timeless interior spaces, which blend with the outside, the natural lighting, the plants and the cross-views, streamlining the home’s use thanks to the elements designed to organise and unify the spaces, freeing up the rest of the space.
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- Nook Architects
- www.nookarchitects.com
- Photos: Oriol Gómez