Painter’s Workshop
The project stems from the decision to make a cistern to collect the water coming from the roof. That circumstance was used as “an excuse” to build a new workshop. Differently from the existing studio looking out to Mallorca’s fields, the new one will look to the nearest surroundings. The plot is situated in the outskirts of Palma city. It is surrounded by the massive construction typical for the cities in the past century.
The plot indicates where the new study should be placed. The best place is near the wall of the cypresses facing north which would protect the building from the wind. At the same time the new studio should leave as much space as possible on the south side for gardening. Finally but not least importantly, the location of the studio should allow for the free circulation between the well and the main house to get water.
The well becomes the center of the new workshop. The two volumes are placed on the two sides of the well creating a secluded courtyard between the house and the orchard.
The workshop shelters, protects and wraps the orchard up and at the same time looks over it.
Two boxes are designed. In the bigger the painter will work; it is lighter, has a higher ceiling and incorporates the “windows-furniture” to be used by the painter. The smallest one will be used for storage and exposition of the works.
The construction
There are two ways of construction: ceramic box and wooden box. For the ceramic box we use standard economic materials. Termoceramic is chosen due to its capacity to solve the whole wall in only one layer. However, during the construction we realize many other surprising qualities of this type of the brick. The slab is also made for the standard materials such as the concrete joints and jack arch brick. We are fascinated by how they look when placed upside-down reminding the cloth umbrellas.
The wooden boxes are introduced into the project when we find out that the client has a friend carpenter. The woodwork becomes “a box inside a box”. People, light and air pass through it… Inside one can stay, read, paint, work, talk, have a rest…
