An old guard building turned into a family home | Henka Arquitectos

An old guard building turned into a family home

Its location in the historical heritage site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid doesn't allow any private expansion wich would not respect the massive mineral buildings and a historic style.

Finally, after 6 months of debate, the municipal councyl has accepted to deliver the license for the proposal thanks to the minimal impact of its wraparound mimetic barked.

This historic little building was designed as a small fabric guard's house.

Actually, it presents a single storey with three floors to the streets, occupying a corner in a dwelling colony with strong regulatory restrictions. The lower level is situated under the garden level and the first level is at the same of a quiet garden of old centenary sequoia trees.

In its previous state, a staircase and a little barred window don't let the house to be articulated with its garden. The use of this floor was condemned to be isolated and with a lack of sunlight and the southwest views.

The owners of this construction were seeking to rehabilitate and expand the three floors building into a family house and to open it to the wooded garden. To achieve this aim, the project lead to renew totally the indoor and to build a new volume in order to provide a smoothly transition towards the sunshine raised garden and the daily level which contains the kitchen, a toilet, the dining room with its fireplace and the library.

In the outdoor, two mayor materials were chosen:
- the dark board finished aspect of the porcelain stoneware rectified tiles
(board is the main stone used in the region)
- in contrast with the iroko wood with the purpose to mimic with the secoyas and the beautiful centenarian horse chestnuts.

The external view from the street doesn't show the surprise until the final part of the ascent by the external staircase where the added volume accommodates the new living-room.

Typology: Residential, Private
Status: Direct commission (2005), Completed (2006)
Location: San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, Spain

Photography
HenkaArquitectos

#ResidentialArchitecture #InteriorDesign #Lighting #Landscape #Bioclimatism #SustainableArchitecture

typology: Residential, Private
status: Direct commission (2005), Completed (2006)
location: San Lorenzo del Escorial, Madrid, Spain
office: Henka Arquitectos
project architects - designers - construction management: Yonatham González Varo & Monique Phou
photography: Henka Arquitectos