> A Guy, a Bulldog, an Edible Garden, and the Home They Share
Madrid, Spain
2018
This is the refurbishment project of the 46 sqm flat
of a young doctor and his bulldog. Although the original design had a double east-west orientation,
most of the cross-ventilation was blocked by several interior walls, which
meant that the apartment layout didn’t allow for an adequate airflow. Providing
thermal comfort and heat relief, both for the owner and his pet, was a key
aspect to consider in the new design - bulldogs are a delicate breed, and they
are particularly sensitive to heat. Thus, the interior was redistributed to
create a kitchen-living-dining room space that is open to both east and west,
improving air circulation.
Furthermore, a vertical edible garden was added to the
west-facing balcony. The vegetation helps prevent overheating in the summer
months, and generally functions as a thermal cushion. An irrigation system
using recycled water from the shower was also added to the design. Forming a
microlandscape of tubes and filters, it makes the recycling process visible and
didactic. The system design was conceived as an alternative prototype: a new
object of desire in a hypothetically sustainable era.
The project explores new climatic possibilities in the home, which are
built around new, post-heteronormative masculinities and expanded forms of
transspecies community. For instance, the multi-purpose capsule, that is
intimate and social, and the adjacent cotton islands for the dog, resignify the
normative uses of the living room, creating a particular relational space, and
the edible garden encourages the weaving of social relationships between the
owner and his neighbours.
