Penthouse in Valencia
As in most of our projects our starting point is the conditioning factors. We always analyze them and try to introduce them into the project in order to come up with a “simple and to-the-point” final solution that best adapts to the client’s needs. In this case a young couple with a kid.
Client Conditioning elements:
There we two main concerns the clients had:
One was their need for maximum height in all spaces. 3,20 meters approx. was set up as our staring point.
The other was their needs as attic users. In this case it meant having three rooms, two rest rooms and a brand new terrace, which had previously been eliminated by the previous owners.
Attic layout conditioning elements:
As previously stated the attic’s maximum height point was 3,20 meters, however there were three porticos that reduced this height to 2,70 meters.
The existence of these porticos could have first seemed like a handicap, but actually ended up being key to the project’s final solution. We used the porticos and facades as natural boundaries to a three-area house solution:
1) Day area (kitchen, living room and terrace)
2) Relations area ( rest rooms, dressing room and distributing hall)
3) Night area (rooms)
Proposal:
After presenting the clients with a couple of first drafts we went for a big central space kitchen/dinning room located at the house’s entrance. This central area, along with the living room, make the day area.
These two main rooms have access to the outdoors terrace that has now become an import part of the attic, thus satisfying one of the client’s main demands.
This area becomes the great “leading character” upon arrival at the attic.
The relations area (rest rooms, dressing room and distributing hall) was the only area in the whole attic where the height was slightly lowered. This allowed for all the necessary climate-control and housing electronics to be installed without compromising the rest of the attic’s height.
Finally the night area was made up of three equally-sized living rooms that are naturally lit by the central courtyard.
