H arquitectes: house 712
‘house 712’ by H arquitectes in gualba, barcelona, spain image © adria goulaall images courtesy H arquitectes
spanish practice H arquitectes has completed ‘house 712’, a single-storey dwelling on an irregularly-shaped site in gualba, barcelona, spain. seeking to occupy as much buildable land as possible, the design scribes out a triangle-shaped plan with each wall running parallel to the plot line, creating a compact space which reserves its free-flowing circulation at its core.
situated on a lush property surrounded by many trees, a major aim of the design was to establish a strong and direct relationship with the outdoors. each of the three facades feature large swinging windows which can operate as doors. the distinction of a main entrance is unnecessary with multiple access points revolving around the house. humble in scale and proportions, the dwelling is wrapped in a perforated brick exterior which lends a simply yet distinct aesthetic to the structure.
elevation image © adria goula
facade image © adria goula
exterior view image © adria goula
corner detail image © adria goula
(left) entrance (right) facade detail images © adria goula
in order to maximize on the daylighting effect, the interior walls and ceilings are finished in a stark shade of white. programs are arranged at the perimeter of the floor plan, designating an appropriate amount of space for the functions of each room. this pinwheeling organization allows for an easy and organic movement of space with the center point serving as the heart of the house.
interior view image © adria goula
(left) dining space (right) corner images © adria goula
image © adria goula
center of house image © adria goula
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i find this so unpleasant i have to comment – its shape, materials, proportions, aesthetic.
I agree. I also don’t see how the floor plan encourages ‘free-flowing’ circulation!
terrible craftsmanship, extremely difficult to focus on anything else.
It\’s just straightforward. It would be interesting to know what was the budget. Anyways I like it.
outside of the box, into the triangle
This looks like one of the three little pig’s houses. Good if you are resisting the big bad wolf, but not all that great for much else. Seems to be built to replicate some sense of “charm” from an impoverished era, when buildings were more defensive than anything else, and elements of grace were luxuries.
a lot of nonsense written here by many who \’just dont get it\’….a nice piece of work…
I simply don’t understand where all the negative comments are coming from! I find this to be a nice tranquil piece of architecture that is daring in its delegation of space.
awkwardness
I see some distinct traces of Mario Botta\’s early works – the manner in which primal shape is employed and the straightforwardness in use of the materials. The difference seems to be that the seductiveness of Botta\’s wan\’t inherited as well. Botta was influenced by his mentor Lou Kahn who infamously said \”I asked the brick what it wanted to be…\” . Here the brick seemed to say \”I want to go out and drink too much tequila and then show the world what a hangover looks like rendered in brick\”.
I agree with Cris, very straightforward.
It’s not about craftsmanship, it’s about “…seeking to occupy as much buildable land as possible…”.
The shape is a consequence of the shape of the plot and the set-backs.
The materials and details, I’m guessing, dictated by budget.
It reminds me of Lacaton-Vassal, very straightforward, no-nonsense, most-space-with-less-money
kind of attitude.
I like it.
Not everybody has rich clients. I think they did the best with what they had!
more refinement would not have cost much more – there is a deliberate rawness going on here – kudos to both the architect and client for their integrity, but I would prefer to see a bit more refinement
there seems to be this new thing going on wherein rawness in architecture is an end unto itself – as far as I’m concerned, the jury is still out on that one – Botta’s work was often very un-adulterated, this takes it further