b-ing Architecture
Maria & Cubí
Nook Architects, 2014
An internal refurbishment project carried out by Nook Architects for an apartment located in the Sarria-Sant Gervasi neighbourhood of Barcelona. Their client, a young girl had a very specific project in mind; the apartment was going to be for her to live in on her own but had to be capable of accommodating a future family. The architects explain the ideas behind their design;
The previous owners left the apartment in nominally good condition. They had carried out partial renovations with mixed results, specific solutions for specific problems which had no sense of unity like the inclusion of the terrace towards the exterior using heavy frames, a new kitchen and bathrooms and the partial installation of an air conditioning system. With an initial sketch analysis carried out on paper we were able to trace the consequences of this fractured approach; irregular distribution, difficult to access setbacks and two front doors to the apartment, somewhat unnecessary for its everyday use. With this mixture we tried to re-establish order within the spaces creating a neutral scenario for a long life span.
-
-
The first step was to cautiously reorganize the internal distribution of the load-bearing walls of the building. Block one of the two entrances to the house and enter through just one entrance hall. We took advantage of the extra space gained to provide an extra guest toilet. This new space together with the kitchen became the heart of the apartment, at the point of connection between all the spaces both visually and spatially.
-
With the kitchen once again situated at the centre its visual relationship with the other adjacent spaces was re-established, its independence from the rest of the house was also however a requirement. The sliding door and the glazed sash window partition, which are integrated with the apartment’s built-in furniture, allow for just the breakfast bar to be open or the entire kitchen area to be completely separated.
-
By making three simple changes within the apartment’s communal areas we recovered the original layout and natural lighting for the living room. We organized an intermediate zone where the pantry, television and small storage area are located, eliminating the large setback which had been there previously. We integrated two flues from lower apartments within the design of a modular shelving system using lacquered sheet steel based on the width of the ducts. And lastly we freed up the terrace space allowing for panoramic views of the up-town area of the city.
-
Within the main bedroom the headboard becomes a continuation of the new flooring, maintaining the en-suite layout of bedroom/dressing-room/bathroom. Internally a former badly laid out service room was eliminated, replaced by a laundry area while the two large bedrooms were at opposite ends of the apartment were maintained.
-
The design of the refurbished apartment and the reorganisation of its spaces reflects the needs of the client right now while allowing for future expansion when and if required.
-
-
Plan of apartment before the refurb
-
The new apartment layout
