Excerpt: PH Helguera is a residential project by OADD Arquitectos that transforms an old carpentry shop into a contemporary and welcoming space. The original structure was modified with spaces full of light that open onto a large void—a longitudinal patio. The designers call this design condition the “coconut paradigm,” which operates in a constant dialectic of sensory contrasts and temporal differences.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] The challenge was to completely transform the old “ph”, which functioned as a carpentry shop. Modify the original structure (dark rooms) with spaces full of light that open onto a large void, a longitudinal patio with a contemporary and welcoming imprint.
In this sense, the Helguera “ph” is an architectural signifier of change: a home that has evolved into a radical comprehensive proposal.
The idea of a patio that articulates the social floor (living room, kitchen) with the grill, allows a fluid development of both daily and domestic activities and broader social gatherings. This leads to separating the bedrooms on the ground floor, on a higher plane to improve lighting and privacy conditions. As a programmatic corollary, a large terrace is created that functions as a catalyst for outdoor activities.
The language of the ph refers to the old brick walls that composed the original building, generating a forceful aesthetic constructive solution and a material reality that is shown in its most genuine stereotomy quality. The simple condition of stacking masonry helped create a rough envelope of pregnant color, releasing the interior to a smooth white color.
The designers call this design condition the “coconut paradigm” and it operates in a constant dialectic of sensory contrasts and temporal differences. In this way, they integrate preexistence as the germ of the new, reinterpretation and rereading as an indispensable design tool.
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