Due to the plot’s location we were obliged to restore the existing volumetric shape (three dilapidated two-storey houses divided by walls).
As we considered the design for the new building, we had doubts about the prior volumetric form: it didn’t fit into the existing fabric nor did it respond to contemporary concepts of light and ventilation.
Furthermore, the City Council is considering connecting the passage to the adjacent public garden so that the plot wouldn’t be a cul-de-sac anymore.
We wanted to obtain privacy and match the neighbouring houses in height, so we raised one storey. To balance the surface area gained, we created a side patio that allows sunlight to reach the back of the plot. The existing road doesn’t allow for a direct connection between building and the garden, so the patio, located inside the plot, will provide the house with privacy.
We wanted to respect the passage without succumbing typological clichés that do not correspond to modern-day needs, and, even without following the traditional concept in terms of openings, we believe that we have not generated an aggressive contrast with the rest of the passage, but that we have enriched it, adding the diversity that comes with the passage of time.|


PROJECT NAME:
House in Vallcarca

LOCATION:
Barcelona, Spain

PROJECT PHASES:
Design date: 2003/2006
Completion date: 2010

AUTORIA DESIGN TEAM:
Arquitectura Architecture:
Carme Pinós Desplat

Colaborators:
Elsa Martí, Samuel Arriola, Holger Hennefarth, Frederic Jordan, David Sebastian, Cesar Verges

TECHNICAL DESIGN AND BUILDING CONSULTANCY:
Structural Engineering:
Sala Consultors

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering:
RC Enginyers

Quantity surveyor:
CBA Josep Camps

Computer graphics:
Alejo Park

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
MR Estructuras de hormigón SL/ M. A. Paris SL

SURFACE AREA:
340 m2

PHOTOGRAPHS:
Estudio Carme Pinós