Patio House
Gràcia, Barcelona 2008-2013
Conversion of a laundry store into a dwelling. Built work
- Architect: Carles Enrich Studio
- Collaborators: MASAad (structure)
- Client: Private
- Contractors: Inside Plus, Fustlovi (joinery)
- Surface area: 145 sqm
- Photographs: Enric Fabre and Carles Enrich
- Awards: Selected FAD Awards, First Prize AJAC VIII Awards, Opinion Prize Arquia Próxima IV Awards, Finalist Premio Internazionale Domus Restauro e Conservazione
The commission consisted of transforming an old drycleaner’s premises in a row of buildings in the Barcelona district of Gràcia. With the sole exception of the bathroom, the project envisaged a single open space where all the activities related with resting, leisure and eating take place. The courtyard became the central space in the project. The partition walls were removed to restore the large spaces between the bearing walls. The site was excavated to allow the insertion of a metal structure, enabling the creation of an extra room in a loft space, designed as a suspended fixture.
A cupboard that opens on both sides is the only space separator, turning the corridor into a long dressing room. An old storeroom at the rear of the plot is turned to good use as a satellite bedroom. This fragmentation of the programme turns the courtyard into an intermediate space that can be inhabited for most of the year. A pergola built of IPE bars, corrugated rods and reed matting provides privacy and climate control. The gradual growth of vegetation will create a microclimate in the dense urban fabric of Gràcia.
