Description

Urban context

This residential building is part of a new development area in Carabanchel, a
district on the southeast outskirts of Madrid. On a lot measuring 100 × 45
meters, set apart by its location on a neighborhood park in the south of the
city, a compact, east–west-oriented residential slab has been built, 16.4 meters
deep, with six residential floors and a parking garage, filling the entire
lot.

Ground-floor zone

The compact volume is concentrated on the western part of the property, so that
the roof of the only partly subterranean parking garage to the east can be used
as an elevated open space accessible only by the residents and available for a
variety of activities. Arcade-like entry halls connect the street and garden
sides. Long ramps lead from the corridor well into the exterior, and the first
residential floor is designed as a raised ground floor. Both features protect
the private sphere of the residents on the lowest level.

Building structure

This six-story compact slab of apartments houses ninety-three public housing
units. On the street side the strong rhythm of the front entrances creates a
public identity. A wide stairway leads to the elevator, which provides access to
two units on each floor. The units are designed as apartments that extend the
full depth of the building. One striking feature of the residential building is
a continuous terrace measuring a meter and a half deep on either side. This both
protects against solar radiation and extends the private living space into the
outdoors. This flexible zone of transition is surrounded by a homogeneous shell
of folding bamboo elements, which runs around the entire building.

Facade

The abstract effect of the facade makes it impossible to identify individual
apartment units. There was a conscious decision not to use a distinctive look as
a way for residents to convey personal identification. This can be seen either
as anonymity or as the expression of personal freedom in the urban context. The
shell is continuous and composed of folding elements of equal size; its look
changes constantly as residents adjust it individually.

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Originally published in: Ulrike Wietzorrek, Housing+: On Thresholds, Transitions, and Transparencies, Birkhäuser, 2014.