Penthouse CA

Bruno Zevi stated: “Architecture does not derive from the sum of the lengths, widths and heights of the constructive elements that envelop the space, but derives from the void, the enveloped space, the interior space”. And it is precisely there, in the emptiness of the enveloped space, that SRstudio mainly develops its work, seeking spatial richness through the essentiality of forms, the purity of materials and light treated as a material. Stripping away the superfluous and highlighting the essence and detail. And so it was under these premises that this project arose.

The new owners started from three premises to adapt the dwelling to their spatial and formal needs. The change in the materiality of the dwelling, treating the staircase as a singular element and the reorganisation of the existing spaces.

Thus, on a spatial level, two environments are generated in the dwelling. The ground floor that generates a dialogue with the perimeter terrace and the upper floor, which is inward-looking with specific openings that frame the highline of the city. Creating a division of the house between public and private space.

The upper floor contains the rooms for the couple’s private use, while the lower floor, open to the exterior, contains the spaces for public use, the day area and guest bedrooms. On this floor, the terraces play a very important role, creating a play of spatial relationships, so that the night area for guests is enveloped by the outdoor terrace, while in the day area we find the inverse relationship, it is the latter that embraces the outdoor space, generating an intermediate space.

On a formal level, the design of the house is based on the creation of a canvas that serves as a base for habitation, where volumetric and formal simplicity result in an aesthetic that is the consequence of rationality.

Maintaining the existing oak flooring, the protagonist element of the dwelling, the staircase, is generated. Formed by a filter made with palillería that connects both floors at a spatial and formal level, reproducing it in different elements of the upper floor. Palillería that is complemented with the white background composed of walls and panels forming cupboards and doors from floor to ceiling.

The burnished wood kitchen is connected to the living room and terrace. And the bathrooms made with microcement that serves as a base to highlight the unique ceramics and furniture in each one of them. Treated as relevant spaces in the home, the en-suite bathroom stands out, understood as a room attached to it, presided over by the Strato unit and the Temple bathtub as a living space where we can enjoy the views.