The project begins with the excavation of 7-meter-deep wells to cement the new supports, to empty the entire plot of land up to the level of the new foundation located 4 meters below street level.
This new space allows the generation of a volume full of patios of light, where vegetation and open space blur the boundaries between interior and exterior.
Description of project by Blanca Lleó
House M arises from two peculiarities: a family clan and an existing building in the dense city of Madrid.
The deteriorated 300m² construction, built in the 40s, and situated in the neighbourhood of Ciudad Jardin, constitutes the starting difficulty as it is subject to environmental protection and therefore it must be maintained. In exchange, the site offers a great advantage: the building is 3 meters above the street level. Thus, the ground elevation difference turns the place into something similar to a plot.
Applying current regulations, we discovered the possibility of expanding the existing building by excavating the land to accommodate a new construction on the lower levels. To achieve this, the ruin was hold in place and the property cleared.
The project managed to increase three fold the original available surface. The first stage consists on embracing the foundations of the existing construction while at the same time 7 meters deep wells are dug to cement the new supports, followed by the excavation of the entire plot to reach the new level situated 4 meters beneath the street.
This singular engineering operation opens the space for the creation of the horizontal home; this will only be feasible thanks to the insertion of patios of light, where vegetation abounds today. With this intervention the limits between interior and exterior disappear; the passing of the seasons is the backdrop of the house. Thereby, the patios (strategically situated in this open area) creates different environments in a continuous and fluid space.
With this strategy, two related families coexist in a unique complex. While the introverted house draws on the gardens and vegetal environment, the vertical house interacts with the outer world. At the same time, both establish visual connections and perspectives between each other. Yet two different houses, with disparate ways of living. Alongside but separate.
