10 HOUSES IN THE ALTO DE EXTREMADURA, HERMINIO PUERTAS STREET, MADRID

We faced this small plot of 15x15 meters next to Alto de Extremadura, in between two dividing walls and facing a very narrow street, the task was to turn these factors to become a virtue.
The building, with four floors, comprising 10 houses of unconventional type: lofts 4.5 meters high, apartments, attics and terraced houses (1 or 2 bedrooms).

Each of the houses has a uniqueness which makes it different from the rest with a willingness to go beyond the usual monotonous repetition of the same typology.

A single communication core serves all housing units, dividing them: 2 downstairs, 3 on first and second floor and 2 in the attic. All homes are designed by placing at least the living room towards the main street, which also coincides with the best solar orientation. The bedrooms are reserved for the rear (courtyard, quiet area of the plot).

Except the apartments, all houses have cross ventilation and, in the top floors, glazed panels seek the horizon of Madrid.

About the materials we thought about a similar facade to the existing ones in the area. Masonry, but not in a conventional solution, trying to push the boundaries to the limit of both the type of factory (reinforced brick without joints) and the format, the size of the brick and the way it holds together. The fact that each floor facades  have no continuity with the top and bottom (they are broken by the glass strips) makes the assembly of the bricks complete with powerful metal landings and profiles to achieve adequate stability.

DATA:

Architects: Project and Construction Management: Jose Maria de Lapuerta, Paloma Campo

Basic Project: Jose Maria de Lapuerta, Carlos Asensio, Paloma Campo

Promotor: Inversiones Glaciar

Construction: Concepto Constructivo

Surface: 790 m2

Dates. Project: 2010-2011 Construction: 2012-2013

Team: Luis Moranta, architect. Quantity surveyor construction: Javier Pinillos and Jose Miguel Franco. Facilities Engineering and structures: BEDV Arquitectos

Photographer: Miguel de Guzman