Loft renovation in Madrid - Olalquiaga Arquitectos, Pablo Olalquiaga Bescós, Alfonso Olalquiaga Bescós, Rafael Olalquiaga Soriano

Strategy: rehabilitate and look after The project attempts to recover the essence of the original space and its structure, incorporating, at the same time, the new uses and new aesthetic, without modifying the existing elements. We consider a strategy that can be used at any scale and for any type of function. This space could be adapted as a Cork space, for exhibitions or for leisure.

Photo by Miguel de Guzman. © Miguel de Guzman. Published on December 04, 2013.

Rehabilitate: Rehabilitate by definition is ‘to restore something to a former position or state’ The container: We are confronted with a magical space full of light under a pitched roof with a wooden structure. We decide to restore this space and liberate it. The partitions are torn down and the acclimatization through radiators and splits is exchanged for cold-hot water conduction through the floor. The facade walls and roof are insulated from the inside. The piping and installations go through he extended wall without altering the original structure.

Photo by Miguel de Guzmán. © Miguel de Guzmán. Published on December 04, 2013.

To look after: To look after was ~~as the german philosopher Martin Heidegger said~~ not only about not doing anything. It consists in doing a positive action that improves the essence of what is being take care of.

Photo by Miguel de Guzmán. © Miguel de Guzmán. Published on December 04, 2013.

Intervention: A large wooden canopy separates, but does not divide, the sleeping area from the rest of the rooms of the house. This piece is built in a workshop, dismantled, taken to the site and put together in less than two days. It contains wardrobe, bed, chimney and the staircase to the upper shelter, which is the roof of the canopy. Its vertical projection ~~its shadow~~ represents a change in material of the industrial microcement of the floor of the renovated space.

Photo by Miguel de Guzmán. © Miguel de Guzmán. Published on December 04, 2013.

This canopy is constructed independently, it is a multifunctional piece that does not want to alter the essence of the space. It does not touch the walls. For independence there are some hidden doors on the piece that separate the bedroom from the main space. The appearance of the living room is completely different. The planes fold and are covered in galvanized steel sheets like of they were a sculpture.

Large cushions on the floor of the loft lend a colorful touch together with a sculptural coffee table made of bubinga wood died red in the living room. A big sofa and a counter between the kitchen and the dining room that acts as a long counter, both in neutral colors, are the rest of the furnishings of the house.

Location: Colonia Cruz del Rayo. Madrid Architects: OLALQUIAGA ARQUITECTOS Rafael Olalquiaga Soriano Pablo Olalquiaga Bescós Alfonso Olalquiaga Bescós Team: Javier Morales Mónica Luengo Photography: Miguel de Guzmán Completion: Diciembre 2010 Budget: 180.540 € Area: 90 m2