Casa MALPARTIDA
Inserted in the complex urban fabric of the historical centre of Seville, one of the three largest catalogued ensembles in all of Europe, Malpartida Street zigzags in a chaotic geometry composed mainly of residential typologies. As a perspective background of many corners we find a 6x15 meter long house but with only 4 meters of facade, the site chosen to undertake the reform and extension project. The building presented a significant level of deterioration except for the brick walls of the lower levels, therefore, due to the limited budget available, it was decided to use these walls as a foundation for the new upper constructions, and at the same time, reuse stairs, pavements, façade, organization of the bays and even the position and geometry of the existing patio.
From the beginning of the project, the decision was made to work with glazed ceramics as a generator element of architecture. The enamelling, through the fusion of powdered glass added to selected chromatic pigments, allows the introduction of varying brightness and colours depending on the surrounding lighting conditions. To get this, in addition to introducing textures in walls and floors by embedding artisan ceramic pieces of different sizes, an investigation was carried out from firing at high temperatures processes to glaze structural ceramic vaults that covered the upper plane of the house, in a way that the decorative invaded even the permanent elements of space.
The functional organization of the house is carried out by locating the areas with the greatest needs for sunlight in the upper levels. Therefore, the arrangement of the living, dining and kitchen areas on the attic floor allows the outdoor terrace to appear as a natural continuation of the daytime living space, a fact enhanced by using the same material treatment in all this area. The objective was not only to visually extend the interior space to the exterior of the house, but to introduce the textures and nuances of the landscaped terrace into the interior, trusting that this ambiguity of character enhances the enjoyment of one of the great luxuries offered by architecture, outdoor life.
