GRAS arquitectos: http://gras-arquitectos.com/
CORTEN, BOX, CONTRAST
EXTREME CONTRAST: extension of a single-family detached home in Mallorca.
The intervention in an existing building, and even more so with the ambition of this project, is always a delicate matter.In this case the client wanted to add many programme requirements to the current house: an indoor pool, a game room and several rooms in addition to reorganizing the existing dwelling.It was chosen, after much research, to extend the house through an exercise of EXTREME CONTRAST. The possibility of intervening in the fa ades of the existing house to adjust them to a more current aesthetic was cast aside; instead the contemporary language of the new volumes was emphasized to maximise contrast. The result is a series of “boxes” that surround and embrace the old house, generating an innovative combination between the existing building and the new “boxes” of steel. This combination enhances both architectures: the framing of the new volumes highlights the old, of little value and the new stands out greatly in contrast to the former.The materialisation of the project was in line with the concept; the original building was left in the same state, painted white, with sloping Arab tile roofs and wood carpentry, whilst the extension was done with Corten steel searching for rotundity of the elements.
Architects: GRAS arquitectos, Guillermo Reyn s con A?lvaro Perez
Location: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Area: 950 m2
Year: 2013
Photography: Jos Hevia
