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Architects: Jose Costa
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Milena Villalba
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Lead Architects: Jose Costa
Text description provided by the architects. The architect’s house. The most personal, intimate and necessary project an architect can face. An opportunity to explore unlikely paths and propose a unique and particular way of living. This place must host stories coming from past lives and stimulate future ones. A space that expresses a particular character and identity, that welcomes dreams and whims invites you to fly.
Located in the multi-ethnic neighbourhood of Ayora, the opportunity rises in the form of a typical 20th century valencian house. A narrow stair links the street with the house.. Its previous state invited to a complete emptying. Partition walls, ceilings, installations, floorings were all removed leaving a naked space with the roof composed by wooden beams and roof tiles in view. The slab was reinforced, the street windows recover their original size and splendour and the house is opened towards the inner courtyard. Introducing natural light and seeing the sky in every room nearly becomes an obsession.
A mezzanine was built with a light wooden structure that organizes the space in three areas. A double height space with the living, dinning and kitchen area. Under the loft, the private spaces unfold with the main bedroom, a bathroom and a winter living room. Above, the study, a multipurpose space to create, experiment and host guests.
A metallic staircase with floating steps joins these two levels, becoming the main element of this space. Two other stairs allow access to terraces found at different semi-levels, accentuating the three-dimensional character of the dwelling. The first one descends from the winter living room extending itself towards a garden that acts as a transition space with the inner courtyard dominated by tiled roofs inhabited by all sorts of cats. The second one is on top of the winter living room. The original roof was partially elevated so it provides air and light to both the mezzanine and the living room, generating a diagonal that crosses the whole house and provides access to the uppermost terrace.
Textures flood the building providing warmth and authenticity, creating harmony between new and old elements. Brickwork, cement, iron, paint and lots of wood.
