Casa en el Arenal
El Arenal is one of the most traditional quarters of Seville, where the remains of the old course of the Guadalquivir left areas flooded for centuries that allowed a progressive urbanisation with generous open spaces, so scarce in traditional urban areas. In this context, the area is characterised by the significant presence of buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with a special emphasis on Sevillian flat houses. This house in El Arenal is the rehabilitation of one of these flats as part of a general project that rehabilitates the entire house. These are buildings that seek to make maximum use of the available space, with the representative spaces of the dwelling on the façade and the secondary spaces - including the bedrooms - in the interior, in a complex and compact world of rooms that alternate with courtyards of light.
The project is based on typological coherence with the typology, reinforcing the hierarchy of spaces and updating their organisation and architectural definition. The centreline of the façade is reserved for a day area designed both for the daily enjoyment of its inhabitants and for social events inside and outside the house itself, whose balconies allow for participation in Easter Week and in the bullfighting festivities of the neighbouring Maestranza bullring. A diluted and open-plan but orderly living-dining-kitchen space is laid out, which thanks to the way it fits into the corner of the building is reserved at one end. The night area, on the other hand, is organised in the interior, taking advantage of the natural lighting and ventilation of the lighting courtyards, reserved from the bustling street life. This formal and functional segregation is crystalised in the central piece that contains toilet and storage areas and at the same time acts as a filter for the night area. The perimeter enclosure and the mirror in the upper area reinforce the visual disappearance of the night area from the visitor's eyes, guaranteeing the privacy of the inhabitants even when the house is full of guests. In the private area of the house, the spaces are generously organised around the lighting courtyards, which, far from remaining residual spaces, are incorporated into the programme as an extension of the house itself.
