House in Vallcarca

The plot is located in a passageway that is listed as a heritage site, which forced to rebuild the existing volume, three residences between party walls two-stories high, and which were in a state of neglect.

We reconsidered this volumetry, which was neither integrated with the rest of the passageway nor did it respond to the way in which the lighting and ventilation needs are satisfied today. Furthermore, the Town Hall was assessing the possibility of a connection with the adjoining public garden, so the passage would no longer be a cul-de-sac, thereby losing its privacy.

To ensure privacy and match the height of the neighboring houses, we decided to lift the one-story building, because this allowed gaining a side courtyard by displacing the volume occupied by the third dwelling to the new elevated floor. As it was oriented to the south, this courtyard permitted the entrance of light all the way to the rear of the plot, which is buried.

The road doesn’t allow connecting the building directly with its garden, so this courtyard, located inside the plot, will guarantee privacy. Each room will have a terrace open to the sky, compensating for the fact that it is not possible to access the garden directly because of this road.

We wanted to be respectful with the passageway without falling into topics of typologies that do not address current situations and, though we haven’t placed traditional openings, we think we haven’t generated an aggressive contrast with the rest of the landscape, and in fact believe we’ve enriched it with the diversity that the passage of time brings.