This brutalist residence in Barcelona is comfortable and delicate

Within the coronary heart of Barcelona, the brutalist residence is newly renovated, but rooted in Seventies structure. Positioned within the Pedralbes district, it nestles inside neighbouring leafy villas, pavilions, and naturally, Antoni Gaudí‘s ornate gatehouses, which sit at an entrance to the formal Jardines de Pedralbes park. Drawing on this wealthy context, Cometa Architects executed this brutalist structure mission, ensuring the residence remained grounded in its historical past and Catalan tradition.

A uncooked, but mild brutalist residence to discover

The structure studio is used to working with buildings from the early Twentieth-century modernist structure period, nevertheless, the crew had been interested in the actual scheme and the a part of Barcelona it represents, which appeared to them largely uncelebrated. The crew explains: ‘We had been drawn to this residence as a result of it belonged to one of many least glorified durations in structure: the brutalist motion of the Fifties and 60s. This was a time when architects stripped design again to its necessities, turning to probably the most reasonably priced materials in Spain – brick.’

‘Whereas commonplace in Britain, brick in Spain started to be reused freely throughout this period, as architects sought to liberate their designs from ornamentation. These buildings might be discovered within the coronary heart of Barcelona, but it surely was in its increasing periphery – among the many satellite tv for pc neighbourhoods of Sant Gervasi, Bonanova, and Pedralbes – the place architects as soon as envisioned a brand new, fashionable way of life. In one in every of these brick-clad constructions, nestled among the many echoes of the previous, lies the 170 sq m residence.’

When the architects first stepped contained in the house, they appreciated the quiet dialogue unfolding past the balcony, which supplied a big brick component, additionally mirrored in a neighbouring façade, and the creamy, almond-toned expanse of vertical white bricks. ‘Our balcony and that of our neighbour appeared to achieve towards each other, their rounded corners softening the load of the inflexible façades, lending them one thing profoundly human,’ say the architects. ‘It felt as if the structure and its brick had been whispering: Use me! I’m right here! However not as a fleeting pattern – use me as a result of I belong, as a result of I’m a part of this metropolis’s cloth and since I used to be all the time meant to be.’

Brick cladding has a sure symbolism inside Catalan tradition, because it typically takes on the function of a fabric for intricate detailing. Whereas the structure agency’s preliminary response was to the outside brick façade, when inside, the inside spoke to them too. This was a structure courting again to the Nineteen Eighties, however stripped all the way down to its framework and revealing uncovered concrete and piping.

‘In response to this we utilized a pores and skin of handmade, uneven magma clay bricks as a tribute to the heritage of the constructing. We borrowed the creamy almond hue of the white bricks and crafted a backdrop the place {custom} woodwork, micro-cement, and soft-toned paint seamlessly mix. This quiet canvas permits the deep, vertical magma bricks to face boldly – an interaction of sunshine and shadow, heat and distinction, the place every materials finds its voice,’ say architects.

They labored intently with their shopper, a household of 4, who needed an open house flooded with pure gentle and that includes distinct areas for dwelling; which means, the residence wanted an entire new inside structure.

‘Regardless of its solid-looking façades, these buildings typically have bigger openings, permitting daylight to penetrate deep into the core of the construction. Nonetheless, the everyday Fifties-60s structure displays the elitist and chauvinist mindset related to the period – that includes enclosed kitchens positioned within the darkest corners for the housewives, designated maid bedrooms and bogs, dusty eating areas used solely on festive events or when visitors had been current, and lengthy corridors dividing totally different zones, which in the end left the residence darkish and utterly compartmentalised.’

The crew continues: ‘The shopper bought the property due to its giant home windows –one thing almost inconceivable to search out within the centre of Barcelona. They envisioned an enormous, open house that will embrace the total depth of pure gentle. We simply reworked the principle balcony window from a regular opening right into a full-height, full-width glass sheet – one which disappears utterly, dissolving the boundary between inside and exterior. But, as we stripped the interiors naked, an sudden problem emerged – pipes weaving chaotically by means of the residence, piercing it at a number of factors. A peculiar design selection of its time, the gasoline and waterlines didn’t observe the periphery however as a substitute punctuated the very core of the house, demanding a brand new method.’

Cometa Architects discovered that the reply lay within the materials itself – brick. They used it as a binding component, integrating the piping with new storage, a TV unit, and a wine cooler. They are saying: ‘Now not only a floor component, the brick grew to become the unifying thread, stitching collectively previous constraints with newfound intent, turning obstacles into design.’

The kitchen is crafted from darkish milled wooden and options an uncommon kitchen important – a bookcase. This provides a way of structural gravity to the house. The dwelling space accommodates a custom-made 7m lengthy couch, upholstered in a ‘Swedish blue’ cloth.

Cometa Architects mirrored on the completion of the mission saying: ‘When guests stroll into the house, we would like them to really feel as if they’re gently floating, their each motion guided by gentle, without having for reflective surfaces – simply pure, extra-matte finishes. The house ought to really feel like a comfortable almond cushion, inviting and enveloping. But, the presence of tough darker components serves as a refined reminder that even throughout the softest embrace, there may be all the time a darker core.’