House, not mechanism

House, not mechanism. 28 m2 for a fourth generation
A project by barea pizarro

All at a minimum
A small flat by the Manzanares River has been renovated to accommodate young members of a family that has occupied it since the building’s construction in the 1920s. It was partitioned into several rooms like a larger apartment, and the reduced dimensions called for a thorough revamp, freeing up space as much as possible and reconciling the tightness of before with the new life of a couple and their dog.

And yet it doesn’t move
Although many schemes for minimal housing rely on a catalog of mobile designs – packageable or mecha- nized – this one chooses to pursue the comfort of a more static dwelling. Without active furniture, all func- tional and storage space is concentrated along the perimeters, forming a user-friendly suite of closets, coun- tertops, and shelves. In a single room for the entire program, only the bathroom is set apart, relocated behind a door set between shelves.

Indoor landscape
The presence of a mighty poplar tree in front of the windows was a cue to make the dwelling open out to it. This required restoring the original arrangement of openings, which in turn was an opportunity to replace the frames with single-layer, more impermeable joinery. Also contributing to the bright interior is a palette of materials – a combination of ceramic floors, white-lacquered wood, and tiles for humid areas – that is neu- tral, nuanced only by the people and belongings gathered to form the household.

Credits:
Architecture: Alberto Ballesteros, Enrique Morillo. barea pizarro
Collaborators: Ignacio Morillo
Client: Private
Contractor: Flinstone Inreca
Surface: 28 m2
Date: 2023
Location: Madrid, Spain
Photography: Imagen Subliminal (Miguel de Guzmán + Rocío Romero)