Casa Guzmán [House Guzmán] is an iconic reference for the type of housing of the second half of the twentieth century in Spain. Or, rather, it used to be. Yesterday the Alejandro de la Sota Foundation made public the demolition of the famous house, designed by Alejandro de la Sota for Enrique Guzmán in 1972 in the private urbanization of Santo Domingo (Algete, Madrid, Spain).
To the surprise of the students of architecture of the University of Alcalá de Henares, when making a visit to the Casa Guzmán of Alejandro de la Sota for the subject of architectural graphic expression, they discovered that instead of the masterpiece of de la Sota, what was standing in the plot was the construction of a new house, whose architectural quality is at issue, to say the least.
 
The good thing about today is that we can make an open house that closes; It seems to be a foolish thing, but itis like this, this is the great news. To be inside your house and the garden to enter inside, to not to have to cross a line when passing from the inside to the outside. (1989)
Alejandro de la Sota
 
The demolition, commissioned by the son of the original owner, Enrique Guzmán, to build this new home, has been carried out under conditions perfectly protected by Spanish laws. However, this case raises the debate between the prevalence of private property or common heritage.
 
The lack of protection of the heritage of the 20th century's architectural works in Spain is worrisome, especially in comparison with other countries, and it seems that contemporary society values and protects antiquity more than quality.
 
Now, the only consolation for the lovers of good architecture is to be found in the images and plans that remain of this architectural reference. You can find more photographs, plans and other documents of the house and other works of Alejandro de la Sota in the digital archive of the Alejandro de la Sota Foundation.
 

Description of the project by Alejandro de la Sota (in the original Spanish version)

Se piensa que el reposo va unido al encerramiento, a la ocultación en el terreno y a la vida activa, por el contrario, a su dominio.

Se proyecta la vivienda diferenciando claramente las dos zonas semienterrada la parte de los dormitorios, a la que e añade, por comodidad de uso, la correspondiente al servicio con su unión al comedor y protección el juego de niños. Se evita el semienterrado en estas partes de viviendas de vida de altura - juego de niños y comedor - servicios - con aberturas a su nivel, patios, que neutralizan y las vivifican.

Solamente la gran estancia es dominante sobre el terreno y es también acristalada para aumentar esta sensación de actividad y comunicación con su entorno - parcela -. Otras zonas de garaje, instalaciones y almacenes todavía más abajo.

Una piscina unida con cierta entraña, forma conjunto íntimo con la casa.

El vivir esta casa es consecuencia de sí misma. Se vive en la parte integrada a la parcela, con dominio y paz del campo -entorno y vacíos o patios, piscina y cubiertas de la vivienda igualmente incorporados -, cesa toda "acaracolada" que se abre y se cierra sobre sí misma.

El ajardinar la cubierta forma parte del deseo de que el campo debe ser muy respetado. Con su capacidad, con su buen vivir, esta casa tiene poca presencia y esto gusta como fórmula de vida. Estar plenamente - hoy se dice realizarse o poder realizarse - y no molestar, no siendo nadie, como tanto pasa.

También se incorpora el dentro de la piscina, sus profundidaes, al dentro de la casa y su uso es igualmente interno-externo. Dándole vueltas al uso general de la vivienda y su entorno, saldrán, tal vez más posibilidades todavía.

Se construye lo enterrado todo de hormigón, con sus aislamientos; hormigón ligeramente armado en muros y placas de hormigón pretensado en forjados.

La estancia, con ligera estructura metálica y forjado de "Acieroid" de chapa plegada.

Han de cuidarse los aislamientos acústicos y de una manera importante la absorción de los ruidos producidos con el interior: elección de materiales idóneos. 

El forrado exterior es de plaqueta cerámica vidriada; la parte vista construida de hormigón.

La estancia se cierra con la luna "Thermopane" Parsol, doble con aire desecado en la cámara. Se suprime la carpintería en la unión de lunas, que se sueldan con masillas plásticas, después de sujetarlas en las partes superior e inferior. La carpintería de esta zona estancial se reduce a las puertas de giro y correderas.

En la zona semienterrada la carpintería exterior ha de hacerse de seguridad, con persianas en dormitorios y rejas en entradas desde los patios. También las claraboyas se reforzarán con mallazos de seguridad. 

Se piensa en la posibilidad de una vivienda adosada.

La explicación sobre la justeza de los materiales a emplear, se remite a la medición-presupuesto. Aquí en la Memoria solamente quería expresarse el contenido y la posibilidad de vida en la nueva casa.

Madrid, Abril de 1971

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Author
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Alejandro de la Sota
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Client
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Enrique Guzmán
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Venue
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6, Jarama St. Santo Domingo Private Urbanization, Algete, Madrid, Spain
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Date
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1972
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Alejandro de la Sota (Pontevedra, 1913; Madrid 1996) is one of the greatest masters of  the Spanish Architecture of the 20th Century. He was a professor at the School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSAM),  serving its trail as a reference for several  generations of Spanish architects.

During the thirties, he moved from his home town Pontevedra to Madrid where he started his studies in the Faculty of Mathematics, which was a necessary condition to enter in the School of Architecture. Once he got his degree in Architecture in 1941, he spent the first years of his professional life working for the National Institute of Colonization; a stage that ended up with the construction of the village of Esquivel (Sevilla, 1952-1963) and Arvesú House(Madrid, 1953-1955, demolished). Since then, he participated in different competitions, following the same idea as he did in his previous work, the Civil Government of Tarragona (1957-1964). This building has been considered by many people his first masterpiece. During this prolific period he did several projects of modern industrial architecture, such as Clesa Dairy Plant (Madrid, 1958-1961) and CENIM premises in the Campus of the University(Madrid, 1963-1965) and he also built his most recognized and admired work, the Gymnasium of Maravillas School (Madrid, 1960-1962); which is considered by the British critic William Curtis, the most significant work of Contemporary Spanish Architecture.

In 1960 he obtained a job as a Government officer at the Post Office, and throughout this decade, he researched  the possibilities that new materials provide and developed several projects based on a constructive approach consisting of the use of prefabricated concrete panels for walls and floors. This idea is shown in Varela’s House in Villalba (Madrid, 1964-1968).

In 1971 he leaves the university education as a professor, coming back to his public service position at the Post Office. During these years he built César Carlos Residence Hall in the Campus of the University (Madrid, 1968-1971), the building for class and lecture rooms of the University of Sevilla (1972-1973) and Guzmán’s House in Santo Domingo ‘s urbanization (Madrid, 1972-1974), in which he tried out issues to be applied afterwards in Domínguez’s House in A Caeira (Pontevedra, 1973-1978).  The Computer Center for the PO Box in La Vaguada (Madrid, 1972-1977) and years later, the Post and Telecommunications Building in León (1981-1984) belongs to a stage where he was completely involved  in light prefabricated techniques.

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