> A Moulting Flat
Madrid, Spain
2020
In this project, a
44m2 apartment was refurbished for a musician and performer. We have employed
four strategies:
I) Retaining as much of the preexisting elements as
possible. All the floor tiles and
the original wall tiles of the bathroom and
kitchen have been preserved. None of the surface indentations or other
irregularities have been hidden. 90% of the kitchen units have been kept;
despite these having geometries and finishes that are often considered
aesthetically undesirable according to contemporary hegemonic imaginaries, with
imitation wood finishes, neo-Romantic handles and heterogeneous geometries,
these were in good condition and perfectly reusable, including the refrigerator.
Rather than throwing them out, these pieces were simply refreshed with a coat
of paint, thus reducing the amount of rubble and waste generated by the
refurbishment. The seemingly “ugliest” part of the apartment – the kitchen –
was converted into an objet de désir, a new and surprising sculptural element
within the home.
II) Creating a large amount of storage space which would
be flexible, low cost, and polyvalent. We constructed a system based on metal racks all
around the perimeter of the apartment which support wooden shelves. Parallel to
the shelves there is a rail on which various separate curtains hang, allowing
for multiple configurations to hide or reveal the stored objects, and to be
able to generate, if so desired, small “domestic stages”. The storage units
also serve as acoustic insulation.
III) Allowing
for changes in ambience using a multifaceted system of illumination. Several types of luminaries were created using
everyday household objects, such as mop drainers, sieves, funnels and citrus
juicers of various different colours. Each unit can be activated independently.
These luminaries generate a variety of interior atmospheres. The home can be a
place of solitude, peace and tranquility, or an erotic haven, a social, festive
space, and so on.
III) Allowing for changes in ambience using a multifaceted system of illumination. Several types of luminaries were created using everyday household objects, such as mop drainers, sieves, funnels and citrus juicers of various different colours. Each unit can be activated independently. These luminaries generate a variety of interior atmospheres. The home can be a place of solitude, peace and tranquility, or an erotic haven, a social, festive space, and so on.
IV) Enabling different usages through movable furniture. A table on wheels, with legs built from waste wood
pieces, serves as a dining table or worktable. The sofa can be rolled from one
spot to another and, by reconfiguring its cushions, used as a chaise longue to
read on. Placed next to the bed, the two pieces of furniture transform into a
social bed, and serve as a soft topography for different bodily positions.
Architecture offers a
system of multiple options, and it is the inhabitant who designs their home(s)
according to the way they live their day-to-day life. The house is a multi-use
platform, a moulting haven.
