Architects: Alejandro Beautell Photography: Flavio Dorta Construction Period: 2020 Location: El Toscal, Spain
The house is located in the Toscal neighborhood of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a forgotten neighborhood, declared a historic site but which lacks a special plan. The project consists of the rehabilitation of a house from 1912 that was in a state of ruin.
The purpose of the proposed rehabilitation is not to maintain an immutable image of the historic city, but rather a controlled modification that allows evolution without erasing the essence of the place. Considering the environmental values of the building, constituted by its volumetry, facade and materiality, and from the reinterpretation of traditional architectures, the house has been provided with a house-patio scheme. The small existing ventilation patio is enlarged to occupy the entire transverse bay of the building -from wall to dividing wall- becoming the true typological center of the house. The rise of the building is set back from the façade line, diminishing its presence from the street and generating a terrace that serves the main bedroom.
Read MoreAs is common in traditional Canarian architecture, the staircase is located on the left side of the gallery open to the patio and is constituted as an articulating element of the different rooms. The first step of the ladder differs from the others, recalling that basalt piece so common in old houses. On a material level, the existing walls that define the enclosure of the house are projected exposed or finished with lime mortar, depending on the case. The new construction is executed in exposed concrete, with different finishes.
Text provided by the architect.
