Photographic Paintings by Daniela Carvalho

L’artiste Daniela Carvalho, vivant en Espagne, a voulu rendre un hommage tout particulier à la saison de l’été avec sa série « 39 degrés ». Elle a donc combiné des photographies de vacances, de plages et d’été avec de la peinture à l’huile qui finit et prolonge les images. Un très beau travail entre photographie et peinture.

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CH Edition: ECOALF Anorak: Our first collaboration of 2014 yeilds a highly packable, water-resistant pullover in CH green

CH Edition: ECOALF Anorak


Every now and then we at CH find ourselves overly intrigued by a certain brand or product—usually one that shares our obsession with aesthetics, pursuit for quality and dedication to innovation. And when the stars align, a collaboration is born, giving way to…

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Jordi Bernadó removes doors from Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion

Over the last few years Mies van der Rohe‘s Barcelona Pavilion has been loaded with junk, and had its pools filled with coffee and milk. Now photographer Jordi Bernadó has taken the doors out and mounted them onto the facade.

Spanish photographer Jordi Bernadó is the latest in a series of artists to be invited to make his mark on the iconic structure, which was first completed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1929, dismantled in 1930, then reconstructed in the 1980s.

Jordi Bernadó removes the doors from Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion

Responding to Mies’ original desire for the pavilion to be photographed before its doors were installed, Bernadó’s temporary intervention, named Second Reconstruction, involved removing the two glazed entrances and positioning them in front of one of the building’s travertine walls.

Jordi Bernadó removes the doors from Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion
View into the pavilion without the doors

In this way, Bernadó says he has “restored the image” of the building. “The pavilion once again becomes, temporarily, what Mies imagined,” said the photographer.

“The doors ask the question. The building without doors is the answer,” he added.

Jordi Bernadó removes the doors from Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion
Visitors to the pavilion at the installation launch

The Barcelona Pavilion was reconstructed in the 1980s, using only black and white photographs as reference. Since then a number of architects, designers and artists have been invited to create a site-specific installation inside.

Last year Spanish architect Andrés Jaque filled the structure with items found in the basement, while Japanese duo SANAA installed a spiral of acrylic screens in 2009 and in 2008 Chinese artist Ai Weiwei replaced the water of the pools with milk and coffee.

Here’s a description of this year’s project from Jordi Bernadó:


The Pavilion. Second Reconstruction. An artistic project by Jordi Bernadó

Mies referred to the Pavilion as a “pavilion of representation”. An ephemeral building whose maximum value was to represent an idea.

The aspect of the pavilion that has endured is therefore an evocation, not an object. A conceptual, not a material, act. A generator of thought, not a generator of physical space.

Jordi Bernadó removes the doors from Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion
Floor plan before intervention – click for larger image

Consequently, what remains of the Pavilion is the idea and its images. And Mies ordered the Pavilion to be photographed without doors. In Mies’s thought and view, the Pavilion had no doors.

In fact, the Pavilion existed in all its plenitude only when the doors were removed. The moment of the gaze is the only real moment.

Jordi Bernadó removes the doors from Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion
Floor plan after intervention – click for larger image

The photographer proposes, through a minimal gesture, to restore the image of the pavilion by removing the doors. The pavilion without doors at last. At its side, doors without a building. The pavilion reconstructed at last. And the doors out of their setting, by themselves generating the question posed by the intervention. The doors ask the question. The building without doors is the answer.

Photographing is not only fabrication of images (and therefore objectual). It is above all a gaze (and therefore intellectual). The photographer gazes. And gazes, presumably and ironically, as Mies did. And curiously enough, it is thanks only to the gaze that the pavilion once again becomes, temporarily, what Mies imagined. In this way, the time factor is transformed also into a fundamental aspect of the project.

Jordi Bernadó removes the doors from Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion
Concept diagrams – click for larger image

Concept, immortality, time, estrangement. Ideas with which Mies worked and which constitute the essence of the Pavilion. And which the project reclaims also. As Ms Hock said, ‘gazing is inventing’.

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Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion
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Rock Design House

Au bord d’un lac d’Espagne, Ensamble Studio a décidé de construire la maison « The Truffle » qui a été évidée par une vache nommée Paulina. Faite tout en pierre naturelle, la maison offre un petit cadre agréable où le minimalisme est de rigueur. Des photos signées Roland Halbe à découvrir dans la suite.


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Historic Spanish chapel renovated and repurposed by Adam Bresnick Architects

Madrid studio Adam Bresnick Architects has revived the sixteenth-century interior of a chapel in Spain by reinstating a vaulted ceiling and building a timber-clad box that hovers above the floor.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

Located in the small town of Brihuega, the former chapel was redesigned by American-born architect Adam Bresnick for use as a multi-purpose events space that can accommodate different community activities, or function as a wedding venue.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

The main intervention is the addition of the new two-storey timber volume, which cantilevers into the space above the entrance lobby to create a modern alternative to the chapel’s former choir box.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

The structure only makes contact with one original wall, as the design team didn’t want it to overpower the existing architecture. “The philosophy guiding the intervention was to respect time’s passing,” they said.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

Glass balustrades surround the two suspended floors, but the entire volume is also clad with vertical pine slats that define its outline whilst allowing sound and light to pass between.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

An original vaulted ceiling above had crumbled away, so was replaced with a matching construction of timber slats.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

The chapel’s former nave is the building’s largest space. It sits below a domed ceiling, and is lit by a suspended fixture that mimics the ceiling’s size and circular shape.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

On the opposite side of the lobby, a new four-storey structure was inserted to accommodate ancillary functions including toilets, staff areas, a kitchen and an elevator. A staircase also extends back into this space.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

A beige marble floor runs through the interior. The team also restored the building’s exterior by repointing the stone walls, repairing tiled eaves and retaining original stone mouldings.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

Here’s a project description from the architect:


Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century chapel in Brihuega, Spain

The chapel rehabilitation is for a new typology – a multi-purpose space for events ranging from a formal wedding to the mellow ambiance of a yoga retreat. The reconstruction involved resolving the complex pathologies suffered by the original structure since being abandoned in 1969.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

Adam Bresnick Architects studied and restored the existing architecture as well as inserting new uses. The philosophy guiding the intervention was to respect time’s passing. From the exterior the stone facades were repointed, traditional tile eaves restored and stone mouldings left with their worn faults, including the original scarred Serlian entrance. In the interior three distinct areas are articulated, the refurbished dome where the original space is restored, the entrance into the nave is a mix of archaeological remains and new construction cantilevered over the space, minimally touching the original.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

The fallen vaults that once covered this space are recalled by a new vaulted ceiling of pine slats. Plaster mouldings cutout over the bare masonry of the original wall also mark the shapes of the original vaults. The last third occupying the old choir area houses all modern uses, from the elevator allowing for handicapped access to all levels, to restrooms, kitchen, staff and storage areas. This four-story structure is inserted within the stone walls, a skylight in the stair accentuating its conceptual separation from the original container.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

The materials used are the same as the original; beige marble main floor, white paint on the plaster mouldings, pine slats on the ceiling and to enclose the modern choir that floats within the volume of the nave.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

The creation of new uses for historical spaces, and new employment possibilities in the context of rural Spain is an outstanding contribution to European culture. The innovation of the initiative has been recognised by the FADETA (Federación de Asociaciones para el Desarrollo Territorial del Tajo-Tajuña), a local program forming part of European Union FEADER (Fonds Européen Agricole pour le Développement Rural) program. The total construction cost is €852,000, and is privately funded. Nevertheless the quality of the intervention and its novelty has been awarded a subsidy of €200,000 by FADETA.

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

Principal architect: Adam Bresnick
Team architects: Miguel Peña Martínez-Conde & Antonio Romeo Donlo
Structural engineers: Juan F. de la Torre Calvo & Ana Fernández-Cuartero Paramio

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

Archaeologist: Olga Vallespín Gómez
Construction coordinator: Joaquín Fernández González
Clerk of the works: Federico Vega Ortega
Industrial engineering: José de Andres Abad
Contractor: José Lucas Hernández
Foreman: Alberto Martínez Gamboa

Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick

Steel structure: Mariano del Olmo
Marble: Incom Pastor
Carpentry: Hermanos Esteban
Electricity: Tabernero de Andres
Circular chandelier: Ecoaneva

Ground floor plan of Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
First floor plan of Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick
First floor plan – click for larger image
Second floor plan of Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick
Second floor plan – click for larger image
Third floor plan of Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick
Third floor plan – click for larger image
Long section of Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick
Long section – click for larger image
Axonometric diagram of Restoration and adaptation of a 16th century Chapel in Brihuega by Adam Bresnick
Axonometric diagram – click for larger image

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repurposed by Adam Bresnick Architects
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Steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona

This steel and glass elevator shaft designed by Spanish architecture firm Ah Asociados rises out of a hillside on the outskirts of Pamplona in Spain to connect a suburb with the city (+ slideshow).

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

Ah Asociados, which has offices in Spain and Qatar, designed the Urban Elevator to create a more direct link between the Echavacoiz Norte neighbourhood on the hill and the city below.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

Commissioned by the city council, the architects were asked to investigate three possible sites in the city that had all experienced problems with accessibility.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The team settled on the Echavacoiz Norte neighbourhood. Previously, the two parts were connected by a pedestrian ramp and stairs, but city planners felt this could be improved.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The result is an extended steel clad walkway jutting out from the top of the hill in a dog-leg that connects to an elevator shaft offering panoramic views of Pamplona and the hills beyond.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

“This made it possible to introduce new pedestrian and cyclist roads between the two urban levels and implement an architectural element that turned the panoramic footbridge and the panoramic tower into one,” explained a spokesperson from the studio.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The footbridge is supported by a single horizontal steel beam, with a pavement made from sheet steel plates laid over the top. The plate continues on one side of the footbridge to shelter pedestrians from prevailing winds. The other side features a rail and steel fencing low enough for unspoiled views of the city and surrounding hills.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The elevator shaft is clad in the same sheet steel to give the two separate elements visual continuity.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

“The project enhances the simplicity of each element, avoiding any excess of constructive formalism,” said the Ah Asociados spokesperson.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

Pedestrians approaching the tower from the lower levels cross a small footbridge before ascending up through the transparent elevator shaft. In addition to giving access to the Echavacoiz Norte neighbourhood, the Urban Elevator provides more direct access to a nearby cycleway and park.

Here’s some text from the architects:


Urban Elevator in Echavacoiz (Pamplona)

This project emerge from an R+D+I study on Pedestrian Mobility in “Echavacoiz Norte”, commissioned by the City Council of Pamplona to the Innovation Department of ah asociados. In this research, three critical areas with historical accessibility and urban integration problems were detected and could be solved by implementing mechanical systems.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

One of these three critical areas was to resolve the precarious pedestrian ramp access and stairs which overcome thirty meters height difference between levels. These accesses were also used by neighbours of “Urdanoz Group” to reach the elevated area where there was a perimeter walkway and the neighbourhood of “Echavacoiz Norte”.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

This project was intended to solve current accessibility problems through two footbridges and a lift, which turned into an urban reference of the integration of Echavacoiz into the city and into an object sensible to its own urban landscape. This has been possible by linking the upper pathway with the river park and with the future neighbourhood of the AVE.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The pathway along the Elorz River and the one to the neighbourhood encountered in the bridge. This made it possible to introduce new pedestrian and cyclist roads between the two urban levels and implement an architectural element that turned the panoramic footbridge and the panoramic tower into one.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The project enhances the simplicity of each element, avoiding any excess of constructive formalism. The great structural effort of the uneven footbridge has been solved by a robust section that extends between its bases and creates an image of an arcade opened to the new neighbourhood.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The basic shape of the footbridge is formed by a continued beam from which the supports of the footbridge pavement are born. This pavement has been made of sheet metal plates. The exterior of the beam and the lateral levels of the tower are also covered by a folded steel plate to get visual continuity to enhance the urban character of an element that emerges from the hill and is supported by the head of the footbridge.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The horizontal part of the bridge turns into vertical where it meets the tower, in such a way that the format of steel structure element and steel skin is repeated. The asymmetry of the footbridge protects the pedestrians of wind and let them see a new territory whilst the vertical element is robust and strong in its lateral levels. The landings opened to the landscape with the minimum expression of materials.

A steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados

The two main features of this project are formal simplicity and clear structure. These two define an element that is converted into a reference, a gate and a connection between two urban realities that are no longer separated by a topography that caused marginalization and now union.

Site plan of steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados
Site plan – click for larger image
Elevator plan of steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados
Elevator plan – click for larger image
Detailed section of steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados
Detailed section – click for larger image
Elevation of steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados
Elevation – click for larger image
Elevation two of steel-clad outdoor elevator connects the city and suburb in Pamplona by AH Asociados
Elevation two – click for larger image

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the city and suburb in Pamplona
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Square holes puncture all five sides of Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura

This house near Madrid was designed by local firm Bojaus Arquitectura as a simple white cuboid punctuated by openings that create windows, porches and patios (+ slideshow).

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

Located in the Las Rozas municipality, the home is flanked by a road and neighbouring properties, so the clients asked Bojaus Arquitectura to prioritise privacy whilst providing light-filled internal and external spaces.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

“The proximity of the houses that surround the plot led [us] to develop a system of voids, deep windows and patios which would allow these large openings without neglecting the equally important need of privacy,” said the architects.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

Local planning regulations determined the position of the house within its plot as well as its exterior dimensions, which the architects optimised by creating a regular geometric volume.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

Windows contained in voids punched into the walls are positioned to restrict views from outside, and in some cases are set back from the facade to further enhance privacy.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

The building’s smooth surface is also interrupted by apertures that create outdoor spaces around the perimeter, as well as a small shaded terrace on the top floor.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

A large space carved out of the ground floor at the rear of the property acts as a sheltered porch that connects the living space with the garden.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

Internally, a void at the centre of the house creates a double-height room with a skylight and window providing views of the sky.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

“The main space in H House is an interior patio which, apart from connecting the diverse levels by the stair, organises all the different rooms,” said the architects, describing the space that allows views between the house’s main living areas.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

A staircase in this central void disappears through a doorway and leads to the upper floor containing the bedrooms and a series of patios.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

The main patio is connected to the master bedroom by sliding doors and features a frosted glass window on the opposite side that lets daylight reach the staircase while obstructing views of the interior.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

Practical spaces including bathrooms, closets, storage and toilets are arranged along the building’s northern edge, creating a thick and highly insulated wall that also supports structural beams so the interior walls can be arranged as desired.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

Photography is by Joaquín Mosquera.

Here’s a project description from the architects:


Casa H

House H is located in a typical suburban area near Madrid, where the houses in small individual plots are often too close to each other. In this situation the challenge was to combine certain degree of privacy with the desire of opening big windows and merging interior and exterior in a continuous space flood by natural light.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

The proximity of the houses that surround the plot lead to develop a system of voids, deep windows and patios which would allow these large openings without neglecting the equally important need of privacy.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

The volume is the result of the strict application of local urban regulations: maximum occupation, perimeter definition, alignments, maximum height… Then, we subtract the voids, porches and patios, to this maximum volume in order to accomplish the FAR (floor area ratio). The result is a pure simple prism (20x9x9 meters) drilled by big hollow voids which are connected generating and organising the interior space.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

The main space in H House is an interior patio which, apart from connecting the diverse levels by the stair, organises all the different rooms. The small pieces, bathrooms, closets, storage, toilet… are aligned in the north facade, building a thick wall with a high level of isolation. At the same time this layout reduces the length of the main beams simplifying the structure of the house and assisting the free organisation of the principal spaces. All of them are related to each other visually through patios and voids, as it can be observed in the longitudinal section.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

The program planned by the client was the typical on a traditional house of this characteristics. Nevertheless the conception of the different spaces demanded by the client and the relationship between them aspire to a freer layout where a more open and ambiguous functional scheme could be developed.

Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes

The structural layout defines a cross banded scheme of fixed dimensions where the main spaces, living, kitchen, main bedroom, studio, secondary bedrooms group… are equivalent and interchangeable depending on the user’s needs.

Lower level plan of Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes
Lower level plan – click for larger image
Upper level plan of Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes
Upper level plan – click for larger image
Long section of Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes
Long section – click for larger image
Cross section of Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura features a facade covered in holes
Cross section – click for larger image

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Casa H by Bojaus Arquitectura
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Acid Magazine: A holistic approach to surfing in a beautifully designed print format

Acid Magazine


To the outside world, surfers may seem like an obsessive bunch. Piling into a station wagon, driving for hours in search of rideable peaks in the depths of winter, shuffling across snow-covered trails in nothing but a few millimeters of neoprene is not…

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Vaulted brick ceilings revealed inside renovated Barcelona apartment

Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona uncovered barrel-vaulted brick ceilings during the renovation of this apartment in the architects’ home city (+ slideshow).

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

For the renovation of Casa Tomás, Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona separated the interior into areas that will be used most at night and those that will be active during the day, connected by a small intermediate room.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

Architect Pepe Gascón told Dezeen they discovered the “lovely roof” when they demolished the existing plaster ceiling.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

“We supposed there was this kind of roof in the apartment because most of the apartments and flats built in this period of time were built with this kind of construction,” Gascón said.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

“In the Catalan language it’s called ‘volta catalana’ which means ‘Catalan arch’ and it was an easy way to build a roof with ceramic tiles, where the arch distributes the forces it receives to both sides,” he explained.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

On one side of the apartment’s H-shaped plan, four rooms have been transformed into a single open-plan space for the living, dining and kitchen areas.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

A bathroom on the opposite side of the apartment features green tiled walls that never meet the vaulted ceiling, but a row of glazed panels is slotted between to bring extra light into the space from above.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

Two bedrooms are situated on either side of the bathroom, completing the side of the residence dedicated to night time.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

The ceiling in the living area has been left exposed to show the red tones of the clay ceramic, while vaulted ceilings elsewhere are all painted white. A mixture of wooden boards and patterned Mallorcan tiles cover the floors.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

Narrow terraces are positioned at each end of the apartment. The one at the bedroom end is screened by a steel trellis covered with climbing plants, while the second faces down onto the street.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

Photography is by José Hevia.

Here’s some information from Pepe Gascón:


More Dualism, Less Monism

Louis Kahn divided spaces into two types: served and servant (where ‘servant’ refers not to domestic staff but to spaces serving other spaces). Marcel Breuer structured a considerable number of his single-family homes into a bi-nuclear scheme. The pre-existing H-shape of the Tomás home already favoured its spatial organisation into two living areas, as in Breuer’s plan: one part to be used for daytime activities – the social area – and the other for night-time functions – the private area. The connecting room was to be a servant space but also given its own character so that, rather than being relegated for use as a mere passageway, it could also function as a living area. The other two rooms would be served spaces.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

Although these two served spaces are almost similar in terms of dimension and geometry, both are defined in completely opposite ways. The public part is clear space while the private section is divided. The former is open to the street and the latter closed off by the inner courtyard of the block. The main space extends outwards via a balcony, while the other area is filtered and separated from outside by a uniform glassed-in veranda where climbing plants partly screen the glass slats that close it off. The balcony acts as a kind of solarium before the living room, dining room and kitchen area. The veranda, however, is like a shade house in front of the dormitories thanks to the plant filter provided by the creepers.

Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona

Dimorphism is the term used in biology for the phenomenon in which two different anatomical aspects appear in the same species. This principle was used to “furnish” the served spaces of the house. In the public zone, it is by means of the free-standing bench in the kitchen. In the bedroom area, the bathroom is set out like one more piece of furniture since it rises from the floor and does not reach up to the joists or the vaulted ceiling. The bathroom can be understood in Kahn’s language as a servant space since it serves both bedrooms.

The same applies to the transversal strip comprised by the vestibule, the toilet and the storage space for household appliances – paved and finished with decorative tiles – which also serves the living-room, dining room and kitchen. Even the servant space connecting the two parts of the house is multiplied by adding a dual-level or, better said, a bi-vertical loft space.

Renovated floor plan of Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona
Renovated floor plan – click for larger image

The spatial result of this project is therefore a contrivance whereby opposites, symmetries and balances mediate served and servant spaces. This is a house structured in a bi-nuclear fashion which repeats dualities again and again or, in other words, it brings together in one very small home twofold, different and contrasting spatial characteristics: clear-divided, open-closed, extended-separated, broken up-filtered, above-below. In short, it is a project based on dualism rather than on monism, with Kahn and Bauer as its double references.

Initial floor plan of Casa Tomas by Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona
Initial floor plan – click for larger image

Architecture: LAB, Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona – Pepe Gascón & Víctor Sala (architects)
Client: Miguel Gayoso
Contractor: Constructora Montnegre (Tordera, Barcelona), Spain
Dirección de obra: LAB, Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona – Pepe Gascón & Víctor Sala (architects)
Coordinación de seguridad y salud: LAB, Laboratory for Architecture in Barcelona – Pepe Gascón & Víctor Sala (architects)
Project area: 8000 m2
Cost: €73.000, 00

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renovated Barcelona apartment
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Big Bang House by Didier Faustino

Créée pour le project « Solo Houses » de Christian Bourdais, l’architecte Didier Faustino, basé à Paris et à Lisbonne, a conçu la « Big Bang House », une bâtisse futuriste et dynamique qui semble exploser au milieu de la nature. Elle devrait être construite à Matarrana en Espagne à côté de 11 autres maisons de vacances.

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Big Bang House 5
Big Bang House 4
Big Bang House 3
Big Bang House 2
Big Bang House 1