CRIG FLAT
Flat Crig is the result of a reflection on the specific limits and opportunities of the original house. The day we first met them the clients had just bought a two-faced flat: the properly orientated one, with loads of natural light and great views; and the opposite, sentenced to a endless night due to its openings towards a narrow and dark light well.
Instead of the six existing bedrooms, this small family of three members -might be more in a close future-, only needs three dorms, four perhaps. This opens the door to a full reorganization of the whole space, so that we reach our main target: a house flooded with light.
In order to achieve this objective we make a fundamental decision: moving the corridor from its central position towards the light well façade. By doing this all the primary rooms -living room, kitchen and the three bedrooms- look towards the bright park. Not a single occupant of this house will be relegated to a dark room, and there will be no need to have breakfast with the artificial lights on every morning.
Now the rooms are depth enough to become independent from the façade, so that the blind walls do not need to end up against it. Thanks to the creation of a "winter garden" we manage to give continuity to all the windows that overlook the park, transmitting the feeling of great spaciousness.
Simultaneously this strategy helps us to solve the conflict generated by the position of the new partition walls, that are not always coincident with the frames of the original windows. The children bedrooms are open to the "garden" through a big glazed door, gaining this space for their own use as a wonderful playing or reading room.
The material strategy is simple and follow the criteria of the original design. The old oak flooring has been preserved, and a transparent treatment has been applied so that it shows the true color.
And the carpentry elements always incorporate some aluminium details following the former windows aesthetics. For all other parts white and reflective materials are used, multiplying the views and the sensing of wideness and light.
