Black and White visions of welfare. Apartment in Orihuela by Balzar Arquitectos
05/09/2020.
[Orihuela - Alicante] Spain
metalocus, VALERIA OZUNA
metalocus, VALERIA OZUNA
Description of project by Balzar Arquitectos
The renovation is on the top floor of a rationalist-style building built in the town of Orihuela in the sixties.
The apartment has stunning views over the treetops of the park below. In the distance are the Callosa and Orihuela mountain ranges.
The home has three bedrooms and a large living-dining area with an open kitchen. The bedrooms are located to the back, while the dwelling’s main reception area takes up the whole of the front façade overlooking the park. This latter space feels much extended, further accented by an impressive feature running along its length serving as a kitchen island and doubling up as a dining table.
The transformation of the home has been enabled by the two ingredients we believe to be essential to a good design: time and a great team.
On the one hand, we have had time on our side. The time needed for solutions to be tailored and well-researched. The time to enjoy the process and bring the construction together perfectly.
On the other hand, we realise that architecture is a joint effort. A great number of people are involved along the way from the initial design stages to final delivery, from the clients who have the dream and need to conceive the project, to those who clean up the site at the end to leave it spotless. This has been one of those times when the talent and professionalism of everyone involved has made our work as architects simply the thread that strings the pearls together.
“After years in this profession, we can say that the foundation of our work is the search for beauty, starting from the design of the blueprints themselves all the way to the last detail of construction. A beauty that combines within itself the other necessary factors when creating architecture: economy, function, durability, integration with the surroundings, regulations, respect for the environment, etc.
A beauty that provides an important service to society, giving people a more pleasant world to live in and contributing to their happiness.”