Description

Two requirements define the social housing project in Carabanchel: rationalization of the elements with a view to keeping construction costs low, and the need for a high degree of flexibility. The development consists of blocks that are lined up in sequence. Each block arrangement occupies an entire city block and creates a large, private inner courtyard. The standardization of the building elements and the rational layout of the floor plans are applied to both the exterior and the interior.

All residential units are organized in the same manner: kitchens and sanitary blocks, located at the center partition wall between units, create a fixed, raised core, while the remaining space of the apartment is arranged along the facade and interpreted as a flexible space. Various elements – sliding walls, built-in cabinets, and niches for bed storage recessed into the floor in the corridor – make it possible to transform this open space which is bathed in natural light. The raised dining area expands this field, adds space to the living room and serves as an interface with the other areas. A subtle transition of four steps between corridor, kitchen, baths, and rooms separates the fixed from the flexible spaces. It also supports the idea of habitation as an activity on the part of the residents: that is, room configurations that differ depending on use and time of day.

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Originally published in: Oliver Heckmann, Friederike Schneider (eds.), Floor Plan Manual Housing, fourth revised and expanded edition, Birkhäuser, 2011.