The Square Mag

//July 2010

//Architecture

The idea behind Guinovart Florensa Residence is simple; preserve the original structure, an old existing vernacular house made out of dry stone (the area is well know for it’s tectonic rock value) and recuperate its construction values, whilst giving it a new lease of life as the most unlikely home to find atop a mountain. The imposed physical attributes of the house presented a challenge for the architects; the compactness, massiveness, minimal openings, obscure interiors and weight all work against the extraordinary environment surrounding the building, denying the two different valley views that are faced by the two facades of the house.

The design utilises the series of horizontal partitions in the interior of the house, all of which are supported by two vertical containers that act as both structural necessities and social level divisions of the massive continuous space. The vertical elements of the house generate continuity throughout the property, and actually give it the ability to transform into two independent homes. The most noticeable of all the features, however, is the vast continuous roof made from two planes, intersecting at a point high enough to allow views of the mountain summit from the interior of the building. Because the roof doesn’t sit directly on top of the old stone wall, a second horizontal layer has been created to allow amazing views of the valley below. The roof shape not only mirrors the internal dimensions of the living space, but also the rocky majesty surrounding the plot.

By preserving the original structure and doing a minimal yet contrasted intervention, the idea is to generate new and contemporary spaces for living, respecting the historic envelope. At the basement of the house, a big opening is shaped within the dry stone wall permitting new dazzling views and plenty of natural light for the dining room and second living room, but also allowed the architects the opportunity to respond to structural instabilities in the stone wall. The remaining rooms within the old house retain a sense of classic design and nostalgic construction, but are distributed according to a more contemporary reading of architecture.

Peter Main