b-ing Architecture
Re-imaginging modernism
MBM + vilablanch
One of Barcelona’s most important architectural practices of the 20th Century is MBM (Josep Maria Martorell, Oriol Bohigas, David Mackay) responsible for a variety of the city’s buildings and masterplan of the Vila Olimpica. One of their early projects is revisited with a recent initiative, Vivir la Arquitectura. The project involves the re-imagining of an apartment located within one of the practices first residential buildings. Situated in El Putxet the building is interesting on a number of fronts, its exaggerated slope, the cooperative structure of its financing and construction as well as many of the wonderful architectural details of both building and the apartment units.
Vivir la Arquitectura which was presented coinciding with Barcelona Design Week takes an apartment measuring 100 sq.m. and adapts it for 21st Century living. This involves the reconfiguration of some rooms and the internal organisation but the most significant changes are the finishes and modern installations. Vilablanch the interior design studio took charge of the refurbishment, staying true to the spirit of the original apartment but introducing changes. The project now contains 3 bedrooms and a home office, an open plan living space with a kitchen that can be closed off with a sliding door. There are three bathrooms, an en-suite, family bathroom and courtesy WC at the entrance.
-
-
The floor plan was adapted to a way of life that today has completely dissappeared (for servants and the main family to share). The distribution of the house clearly separated the area “to be seen” (consisting of the living room, terrace, bedrooms and two bathrooms) from the “service” area (consisting of the kitchen, the laundry room and the utility room or plate).
-
-
-
The refurbishment allows for a more informal division of spacese and greater flexibility to the layout. The living or dining room can be a work area while keeping an eye on what's cooking, or enjoy a chat in the kitchen while you finish preparing dinner. “It has been interesting to be able to update this work by Bohigas, to adapt it to new needs. A project with a groundbreaking spirit in the 70s, which has been updated for a modern family 40 years later”, comments Elina Vilá, founding partner of vilablanch.
-
Built in the modern building idiom the residential complex features industrial, and highly practical materials: natural anodized aluminium window frames, gloss white ceramic in the hall of the building, Pirelli rubber flooring on the floor of the common areas, glass block is incorporated into the landings and on the exterior walls that make up the volume of the staircase and the lighting uses vertical fluorescent lamps placed in a vertical row the rising through the entire staircase.
