The main concern when extending such a narrow row house in depth and in height is how to illuminate the central part. The decision was to turn the main staircase into a three floor light well, like a huge lamp that carries light all the way down to the Ground Floor, where the Living Room is.
The staircase is where every member of the house meets, the public domain of the house. A change of scale is experienced once inside this space: long diagonal views appear, up to 10 meters long, a surprise in the house. A large volume of air has been introduced inside a plot which seemed not to be able to containing it when seen from outside. Every room in the house participates in the light and crossed views of this space.
The main level seems to be level 3, the 2nd floor, that is where the light is. Thanks to a small patio, the house starts being transparent at this level, in which everything gets mixed: plants, rain, air wood, clothes, car toys…
From this place, light starts its way down excavating, eroding the house. It seems that we were getting into a cave, under earth, but in fact the excavation is formed by walls and floors that contain and direct the light side and downwards. In the middle of this excavation is located the staircase, that makes its way through the house crossing the natural light that comes from above. It seems that the space flows up faster than you do…
There is this almost theatrical way of moving thought the staircase, appearing and disappearing… When the staircase touches the ground, it becomes a kind of secret place. You disappear from sight and appear from under the arch, surprisingly…
Another comment should be done about the couple that commissioned the house. This two parents with two kids, very proud of their house from the very beginning, was following the process of the new design very closely, talking permanently about how the house would organize the daily activities: Dolors would be in charge of the daily duties of the house; the laundry should be near the bathroom, in the parents area; the food should be stored in the cellar; cooking would take place near the garden, enjoying the views and smells from trees and vegetables planted there; the garden would have a place reserved for barbecues and for cooking bread and pizza with an earth oven; bathing, eating sleeping… When talking to them, their comments were never about achieving a special atmosphere or using a specific material, but more about making actions possible.
