GV3
XIX c. Apartment renovation in the Eixample
The project consists of the conversion of a 250sqm nursing home, formerly a dwelling, into an apartment for rent. The space was in precarious condition when we first visited it, the original mosaic tiles were covered with modest laminate flooring and most of its outstanding original features were deteriorated.
The client gave us a concise brief: To bring back the original character of the property and to include as many en-suite bedrooms as possible. We were also asked to incorporate new electrical, water and ducted heating systems as discreetly as possible into the design.
We started off by removing everything which was not genuine, including floor and wall coverings, false ceilings, wallpaper, services and fittings. This process of recovery exposed a unique atmosphere which had been hidden for decades and helped us appreciate the individuality of each space. Rather than rearranging the original layout of the flat, strictly dictated by floor patterns and ceiling ornamentations, we incorporated the new requirements of the programme through a process of aggregation of indivisible modules, connected through a long corridor.
Considering that we could not foresee the number of tenants or the precise use of the rooms, we proposed a non-hierarchical and easily adaptable plan. We moved the kitchen from a dark, small interior room into the main living space, creating a large island around which social life develops.
For the new spaces, such as bathrooms, the material palette follows the original materiality of the building, including 5x5 tiles, terrazzo and Carrara marble. A new bespoke stainless steel kitchen fan was introduced as a reference to the industrial kitchen appliances left by the nursing home, generating a friction between the existing and the new.
