This is a performance in a multi-family housing building built in the 70s, located in Prat de Llobregat, within the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. The commission consists of making a global analysis of the state of the building and carrying out a rehabilitation and adaptation plan in stages, gradually adapting the building to new needs and current comforts.
The first time we visited the place, it breathed an atmosphere between retro decadent seventies, recalling its initial charm, but reflecting the little maintenance that had been carried out over the last 50 years. We fell in love with the idea of respecting and preserving that essence, which fit perfectly with the premises of the commission, updating the building, solving construction pathologies, adapting it to new accessibility needs and reforming the floors that had been left empty. All this under an honest but tight budget.
The building consists of PB + 4, with a core of stairs, with a central patio and four floors per floor, except for the fourth floor, where 3 penthouses are located, which enjoy private terraces. On the ground floor are two large commercial premises with high ceilings, since it was originally a garage for machinery for civil works.
The project takes advantage of the space in the central courtyard to locate the future elevator, expanding the initial goal space. The original style of the property is respected, with terrazzo floors in black and yellow tones, but one more color is introduced, green, this tone is the common thread that leaves the mark of new performances. The new terrazzo pieces in the communal areas play with the black and green tones, while inside the houses the green color becomes 100% the protagonist.
With a structure of load-bearing walls, the original houses are very compartmentalized, this gives rise to unhealthy spaces. The new distribution expands the spaces, adapting the homes to two or three rooms according to their square meters, two bathrooms and kitchens open to the dining-living room. The materials used are honest, the terrazzo continues for the flooring, a piece of terrazzo mainly green with gray tones is chosen for the entire floor surface except for the bathrooms, where an opposite piece is placed, gray with green tones. The light and ventilation of all spaces are enhanced, respecting and expanding the original openings and providing them with a new PVC carpentry with good transmittance. Light green tones invade the walls of the corridors and hallways, while off-white is the star of the rooms, thus enhancing tranquility in the night areas and seeking harmony with green in the day areas. Wood is the other main material, it is used to line the hall creating a warmer environment while serving to hide the facilities and create a small piece of furniture to access the home, kitchen furniture also respect this aesthetic and combine the wood with the white tones, giving a hygienic aspect and without giving up a current design.
It was important to achieve an atmosphere of seclusion, flee from the prototype floors that are on the market devoid of personality and at the same time seek a solution that is attractive and to the taste of any consumer, all while maintaining an optimal quality / cost ratio.