This project consists of an apartment renovation of a sixties residential building designed by the architect Francesc Mitjans. It is located in the old plot of Camp Nou Stadium, in the Barcelona district of Les Corts. The 83-square-metres flat is situated in the second floor of the building, enjoying the green views of a park and receiving the natural light of the afternoon sun.
Project Name: Les Corts Apartment
Architect Name: Roman Izquierdo Bouldstridge
Status: Built
The original project was distributed with the typical division of partition walls and corridors. Light only entered in the facade rooms, leaving out the rest of the dwelling with a poor illumination and natural ventilation. The non-existent relation in-between the different areas originated a fragmented space without park views.
The first intention of the project was to open up the space the maximum possible, considering the whole apartment as a unique room looking to the park. Two wide glazed windows painted black focus the gaze of the whole dwelling from the interior to the exterior, acting as a frame of the green background. Natural light comes in with all its brightness, giving joy to any spot of the residence and generating a warm sensation of spaciousness.
A game of visual diagonals is created by the opening of a large sliding door, providing a fluent spatial relation in-between the different areas of the apartment while giving a wider perception of space. Closet-bedroom-studio area is connected with dining-living-terrace area in a unique environment where daily life activities take place in a natural way. At the same time, the flexibility of the sliding door permits separating day area and night area, giving the possibility of providing privacy to the user.
The white color presence in harmony with natural light creates a subtle range of tonalities and shadows that highlights the warmness of the wood flooring and furniture. Two carpets of traditional Barcelona mosaic tiles are placed in wet areas such as kitchen and terrace. The continuity of the oak parquet is interrupted by the colorful mosaic patterns, achieving a perception of entering in a different room. In addition to this, the green of the plants invites the park to come in the dwelling, establishing a dialogue with nature.
Roman Izquierdo Bouldstridge
Roman Izquierdo Bouldstridge is graduated in the Barcelona School of Architecture. His professional career starts in the Japanese studios Tetsuo Kondo Architects, Junya Ishigami+Associates and Kengo Kuma and Associates. In 2014 he founded his own studio based in Barcelona.
His work covers very diverse fields of design, from urban planning and architecture to interior design and furniture. The designer combines his professional practice with artistic experimentation and research.
His creative sensibility and Japanese influence are reflected through an architecture where nature, light and time merge into unique atmospheres. His projects are based the daily experience of people, seeking a balance between functionality, relationship with environment and beauty of spaces created to be lived in a natural way.
