situated in the san gervasi district of barcelona, this spacious 2nd floor corner flat dates from the 50's and has north-east and south-east facing elevations. with a single owner and a large flat, there was a desire in this refurbishment, to express the spaciousness of the apartment. there was also a requirement to house the client's large book collection.
therefore an open design was proposed whereby views would be created through different spaces, from one end of the apartment to another, maintaining an awareness of the movement of the sun during the day as light and shadows are cast on the walls and floor.
this idea was realised with minimal structural changes by forming a series of 'enclosures'. the external surfaces are neutral in colour and collectively form the living space. each 'enclosure', however is defined by a different colour internally, creating distinct atmosheres within each space and satisfying the client's preference for coloured walls. the enclosures are grouped around a central tiled element that separates the living space from the kitchen and houses the client's books on one side and the kitchen cupboards on the other, making the book collection the centrepiece of the apartment.
these 'enclosures', and the tiled centre-piece pick up on the height of the underside of the existing beam which spans across the bay windows. above this datum, the ceiling is manipulated to modulate light and space. hidden sliding doors are provided to allow the living area to be closed off from the rest of the apartment and a new timber floor throughout allows each space to flow into the next.
