Between vernacular tradition and local modernity. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos
19/04/2022.
[Dehesas - León] Spain
metalocus, ÁNGELA MARTÍNEZ
metalocus, ÁNGELA MARTÍNEZ
The new office building designed by MCVR Arquitectos is a refurbishment work that transforms an old residential building from the mid-twentieth century, located in the town of Dehesas, municipality of Ponferrada in the province of León.
The remodelling of this building is strongly marked by the fact that it straddles an essentially vernacular tradition and stands out for its local modernity. This building, originally for agricultural use, underwent two interventions prior to the current project, one in 1954 and the other in 1976.
The remodelling of this building is strongly marked by the fact that it straddles an essentially vernacular tradition and stands out for its local modernity. This building, originally for agricultural use, underwent two interventions prior to the current project, one in 1954 and the other in 1976.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos. Photograph by Adrián Capelo Cruz.
Context urban plan. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Urban plan. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Site plan. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Basement floor plan. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Ground floor plan. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
First floor plan. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Roof floor plan. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Section. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Elevation 01. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Elevation 02. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Elevation 03. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Constructive section. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Axonometry. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
Exploited axonometry. AA308 Offices by MCVR Arquitectos.
The intention of MCVR Arquitectos in this intervention lies in creating a new workspace that would encourage the generation of a new nucleus of activity and revitalise the existing population of the area.
This enclave differs in position with respect to its pre-existing work, this decision was taken with the intention of regularising the terrain of the plot and to this end a plinth was established.
The architects opted to make the most of as much space as possible internally, so they designed two boxes around which the structure is composed and articulated. The lower box is made of concrete and aluminium, while the lower one is made of wood.
On the outside, the building tries to provide a subtle lightness and blur its limits thanks to the polycarbonate, a material already found in neighbouring agricultural constructions, and its double façade which generates an elegant separating space. At the back, we can glimpse the old stone volume which seems to breathe in relation to the rest of the building. At night, halos of white light illuminate its outline, highlighting its distinguished presence.
This enclave differs in position with respect to its pre-existing work, this decision was taken with the intention of regularising the terrain of the plot and to this end a plinth was established.
The architects opted to make the most of as much space as possible internally, so they designed two boxes around which the structure is composed and articulated. The lower box is made of concrete and aluminium, while the lower one is made of wood.
On the outside, the building tries to provide a subtle lightness and blur its limits thanks to the polycarbonate, a material already found in neighbouring agricultural constructions, and its double façade which generates an elegant separating space. At the back, we can glimpse the old stone volume which seems to breathe in relation to the rest of the building. At night, halos of white light illuminate its outline, highlighting its distinguished presence.
Description of project by MCVR Arquitectos
The project intervenes on a pre-existing building executed in two phases in the middle of the 20th century. It is placed within a large plot, for residential purposes, adapted from a previous agricultural use located at the intersection of the both main avenues of Dehesas, a scattered town. The aim is to create a workplace that provides new possibilities for an aging population and open a new collective space at a strategic point in the town.
The proposal rehabilitates a prototypical residential property built in 1954 and executed halfway between vernacular tradition and local modernity. Later, a height was extended in 1976, using techniques of the modern tradition with ceramic joist slabs in addition to the reuse of the same wooden beams from the original house for the roof.
The operation, in the rural-urban context, resolves its position to the current official alignment, which is not the same as the original. In this way, a plinth is built that regularizes the piece, but that cannot maintain orthogonality with the existing building. On the limit of this plinth rises a warp that generates almost virtual planes, a kind of very light geometric veil, which solidifies or dilutes depending on the foreshortening and which will enable the future development of the office. It must be a support for vegetation, shade, audiovisual media or other elements.
The pre-existing house offers an internal and an external face. Inside, it's all about getting as much space as possible. Some encounters are discovered in the operation that try to be repaired in a convenient way, while others are provoked that serve the new use. The interiors rotate around two boxes that articulate the space. The lower one, cold, made of concrete and aluminium, provides light diffusion and reflections. The upper one, warmer, made of pine wood, is suitable for habitat, recreational and meeting uses, which expand to the outside through the glass that looks towards the mountainous landscape of El Bierzo.
On its external face, the building tries to dematerialize its presence through the use of polycarbonate typical of local greenhouses. It is a skin that scales through the sharp, re-existing windows, and is interrupted by the great new ones. The transformation causes a loss of massiveness that is enhanced by the choice of a gray color that links the façade with the sky. The elevations vibrate horizontally, making the glaze resonate with the polycarbonate; as they melt into the sky as they ascend.
The entire discourse is consolidated in the air trapped between the glaze and the façade. That intermediate space allows the old volume to breathe, while taking on a certain intimacy with respect to the external context.
The project closes according to its representativeness, more specifically at night. The contained air is illuminated, generating a real halo, which is at the same time a sign of the office and a beacon in the cross that draws the crossroads.
More information
Architects
Design team
Marcos Cortes Lerín, Víctor Rodríguez Prada.
Area
216.02 sqm.
Dates
2021.
Location
Dehesas, León, Spain.
Photography
Adrián Capelo Cruz.
Marcos Cortes Lerín, Víctor Rodríguez Prada. MCVR
MCVR arises as a natural evolution of the coincidence in Madrid of architects Marcos Cortes Lerín and Víctor Rodríguez Prada, graduates of ETSAVA and ETSAC, based on the interests shared by the founders.
The company actively participates in the transversal development of projects, establishing collaborations with other architects, studios and professionals, which rotate around the research intention of the collective space and the adoption of the results obtained in various types of use. This work has allowed an approach to other modes of thinking and operatives, resulting in collaborations such as the one developed during the Venice Biennale 2016.
Office buildings, services, exhibitions and, in general, the links of these with the public space, have shaped from the beginning the office's own work, which has focused its efforts on public sector competitions. Multiple recognitions of this work have finally been consolidated in the construction of the Air Bubble Office for the SECAD in Kunshan, the intervention for an emergency staircase in Valdemoro, the Local Police Station in Gijón and in other commissions such as the AA308 Offices in Dehesas.
In addition to the professional work, the studio has combined teaching and research work, which has been included in some publications such as Proyecto. Progreso. Architecture, monographs such as Sanaa Rolex Learning Center, scientific articles and the thesis 'Tel Aviv 1932-1939. From experience in the West to experiment in the East' and 'Herman Hertzberger, 1990-2000. Continuity, variation and divergence of the poetics of Team X in 1960'. This experience has allowed the development of dissemination and cooperation activities between different institutions such as the Cervantes Institute in Beijing or the ETSAM itself.
Currently the studio maintains its activity, betting on a physical relocation, halfway between Madrid and Ponferrada, in an attempt to bring together two different realities through the same space of thought, which is still under construction.
The company actively participates in the transversal development of projects, establishing collaborations with other architects, studios and professionals, which rotate around the research intention of the collective space and the adoption of the results obtained in various types of use. This work has allowed an approach to other modes of thinking and operatives, resulting in collaborations such as the one developed during the Venice Biennale 2016.
Office buildings, services, exhibitions and, in general, the links of these with the public space, have shaped from the beginning the office's own work, which has focused its efforts on public sector competitions. Multiple recognitions of this work have finally been consolidated in the construction of the Air Bubble Office for the SECAD in Kunshan, the intervention for an emergency staircase in Valdemoro, the Local Police Station in Gijón and in other commissions such as the AA308 Offices in Dehesas.
In addition to the professional work, the studio has combined teaching and research work, which has been included in some publications such as Proyecto. Progreso. Architecture, monographs such as Sanaa Rolex Learning Center, scientific articles and the thesis 'Tel Aviv 1932-1939. From experience in the West to experiment in the East' and 'Herman Hertzberger, 1990-2000. Continuity, variation and divergence of the poetics of Team X in 1960'. This experience has allowed the development of dissemination and cooperation activities between different institutions such as the Cervantes Institute in Beijing or the ETSAM itself.
Currently the studio maintains its activity, betting on a physical relocation, halfway between Madrid and Ponferrada, in an attempt to bring together two different realities through the same space of thought, which is still under construction.
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