Transformation of Offices Into Four Apartments / Ansede Quintáns, arquitectos

Transformation of Offices Into Four Apartments / Ansede Quintáns, arquitectos

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Text description provided by the architects. The project transforms empty offices into apartments. The main characteristic of the property was the high ceilings, almost four meters, a large window facing the street, and no facade towards the back of the premises, with great depth.

The space is distributed in four apartments. All of them have a large living room, dining room, and kitchen, and two of them also have a separate bedroom. In the entrance areas, further away from the façade, there are also storage areas, laundries, cabinets, and bathrooms. In two of the apartments, lofts are built over the dining and kitchen area, and in the other two a raised bedroom area to environmentally separate the rest area.

In both cases, the objective of this dance of heights, in addition to the creation of storage areas and other uses, is to really appreciate the great height of the halls and part of the entrance areas of almost four meters in height. The great height is appreciated more in contrast to the low height of the kitchen space or entrance, depending on the apartment.

For this we created, in addition to the level changes, also changes in the cladding materials from two meters and twenty centimeters, the height under the mezzanines. Thus, in the rooms, from that height, we have covered everything with sycamore wood veneered boards with solid chestnut wood flashing walls and ceiling, as an interpretation of a coffered ceiling. Highlighting the value of the ceiling in those areas.

The mezzanines and mid-heights are built with a laminated chestnut wood structure, and their floors are made of solid chestnut wood.

The plinths, two meters, and twenty centimeters are built with cement wood boards. The entrance areas are made of white-painted plasterboard. In the meeting between these white areas and the fully covered lounge areas, all the materials appear, in each apartment in a different way.

The entrance areas, darker, demanded more light and the immense space of the lounges demanded more texture and materials that caused a greater feeling of warmth and comfort.

Everything is completed with warm and intimate lighting, through wall sconces, and spotlights that illuminate indirectly through the ceiling lighting.

The kitchens are integrated into the day areas, with similar materials to highlight the unity of that space.