Single House renovation in Barcelona by Lluís Corbella and Marc Mazeres

From the architect. Before being acquired by the owners, the building held a “milk shop” in the heart of one of the most charming and dense neighborhood in Barcelona: Gracia. Originally in this shop, milk and other derivate such as yogurt and cream where sold… and there were cows in it as well. So the starting point was a building without any use, totally abandoned with its facades and roof in very bad condition and heavy renovation actions were recquired.

The proposal was done in collaboration with architect Marc Mazeres. The main idea was to “empty” the original inner space and preserve only the facades and original roof. Our main idea was to build a new dwelling but preserving the original interior volume and its spirit.

The result is a unique combination of spaces that communicate in different heights and allow visual and physical connections between them. In this project spaces are interconnected so new visuals are created between different platforms and levels. The idea was to perceive the building as a diverse spaces container. The idea becomes more evident in the main living room, connected to the interior corridors and also to the exterior through big windows.

Windows, openings and blinds are solved with aluminum systems with high efficiency standard. The climate system consists of crossed ventilation in summer and a floor heating system heated with solar panels in winter. The finishes of this building rely on simplicity and durability.