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Architects: BUC Arquitectura
Text description provided by the architects. It is located in the old core of the municipality of Campos, a village located in the south of Mallorca. The majority of the surrounding buildings are two-story row houses, in which the ground floor was traditionally used as a residence and the first floor for storage and agricultural use.
The house, which used to be part of the small grocery stores in the village, used the first section as a shop and the rest of the space as a residence. Since the grocery store part of the house ceased to be used over 40 years ago, the rest of the house had remained untouched.
Traditional architecture has always maintained a certain level of privacy from the street, which we were interested in maintaining. Previously, it was for energy efficiency and security reasons, whereas today it has more to do with the privacy and intimacy of the new inhabitant.
In this type of intervention, we always try to maintain the original structure and spaces. Opening up, removing, or excessively modifying the original thick stone walls is always a challenge and puts the structure at risk, which we try to control.
Therefore, our main function in this case is to organize the new program of needs within the existing space, being as coherent as possible and seeking a balance between what is needed and what can be obtained.
For us, it is both a job and an obligation to try to make our interventions as respectful and unobtrusive as possible, with the intention of not distorting the local architecture, tradition, and culture.
The courtyard, as an essential space in Mediterranean architecture, always plays a special role in our projects. Not reducing its dimensions for the benefit of the dwelling is always one of our priorities, understanding that, thanks to our climate, the courtyard is an additional room of the house, necessary and usable practically all year round.
In this, as in most of our projects, we have worked with materials that we can obtain from the nearby environment. On the first floor, we have maintained the traditional water tiles or marble and marés as flooring. On the ground floor, we replaced the severely damaged tiles, due to capillary moisture, with the same type, using the traditional hydraulic mosaic from the local factory, Huguet.
In the end, after our intervention, we aim to show a space that has been reconsidered, unique, and contemporary, while trying to maintain the traditional atmosphere of the Mediterranean house, which we must preserve over time.
