Renovation of the Priorat / Atienza Maure Arquitectos
Context. The project consists of the rehabilitation of a Castilian mansion from the s. XVI had burned in a fire in 2011. Only the stone walls, the staircase with a vault, and the voussoirs of the collapsed arches remained. The building had formerly been used as the residence of the prior of the Monastery of Oña.
Light as material. The north façade is buried by the unevenness of Calle Mayor, and the ground floor is uninhabitable, without natural light or direct contact with the orchard on the south face.
The first intention of the project was to introduce natural light that was lacking without disturbing the historic stone facades too much. It seemed to us that the best way to do this was through five skylights that cross the intermediate floors to the common areas on the ground floor. These skylights open onto two large atriums from where parallel stairs run; the original stone and a new steel and concrete one of the same width. This allows configuring a sequence of spaces on different levels, illuminated from above and framed by stone and concrete arches.
Dualities. The next intention was to form a project based on structural, material, and spatial systems similar to the ruin that we had found, to generate that continuity with the pre-existing but clearly marked the subsequent interventions. The new elements that do not contain analogies to the originals are treated as light pieces of steel and wood, with systems that combine traction and compression as a structural balance game. The constructive solutions have been raised following the maxims of Adolf Loos of the architect as a mason who knows Latin, in a constant dialogue with the workers of the region.
The phenomenological house. It is a house that multiplies routes, enhances cross-views and exploration, and fosters a playful and hedonistic experience of space. Space with multiple qualities allows it to be constantly reappropriated without being tied to a specific and closed function.
