by Jaime Prous & Damian Ribas
in Ingualada Barcelona
Architects Jaime Prous & Damian Ribas have designed a state-of-the-art private residence in Igualada,Barcelona that aims to reexamine the idea of inhabitation and the notion of comfort in the domestic environment, as well as to explore the spatial interrelation between mass and void. The architects seem to have found the fine line between these contrasting qualities; thus they crafted a series of spaces that qualify for an effortlessly elegant dwelling experience.
The residence features a very strong cubic interplay which eventually defines the exterior shape of the house as well as it forms the internal spatial arrangement and contours the interior atmosphere.
by Jaime Prous & Damian Ribas
in Ingualada Barcelona
Architects Jaime Prous & Damian Ribas have designed a state-of-the-art private residence in Igualada,Barcelona that aims to reexamine the idea of inhabitation and the notion of comfort in the domestic environment, as well as to explore the spatial interrelation between mass and void. The architects seem to have found the fine line between these contrasting qualities; thus they crafted a series of spaces that qualify for an effortlessly elegant dwelling experience.
The residence features a very strong cubic interplay which eventually defines the exterior shape of the house as well as it forms the internal spatial arrangement and contours the interior atmosphere.
The house is composed by three cubes which are arranged in a way to create a set of ultra-minimal courtyards between them; these courtyards eventually perform as large windows that let light penetrate and brighten the interior spaces.
The cubes house the predominantly static rooms of the residence, and define spaces such as the living room, kitchen and the bedrooms.
These volumes demonstrate a rather monumental character, with solid, stone features that in reality evoke a comforting seclusion and reinforce the feeling of privacy. At the same time the windows in these spaces, act as perforations that break the starkness of the monolithic structure.
These three volumes are connected by a flat, light concrete slab while the windows have actually no framing and are embedded directly into the stone walls, creating that way a more dramatic feeling between the solidity of mass and the airy feeling of the void.
The courtyards are minimal and plain voids that arise from the layout of the volumes; each one of them has its own distinctive character depending on their positioning and finish during which they describe different spatial functions.
But further out of the sturdiness of the interior and the semi openness of the courtyard appears a different spatial territory, the porch.
The porch allows the interior and exterior spaces to actually come together and form a different room. It also acts as an extension of the internal living rooms, giving the residents more living space along with a touch of openness.