Buildings constructed until mid of XX century in Spain, and still today in certain well standing areas, incorporated an apartment for the janitor. Since it was considered that the penthouse was the worse and smallest place of the building, this was the place where to accommodate people in charge of the door control and cleaning.
Today, those spaces go to the community ownership and are rediscovered to people who acquired as an opportunity to enjoy the open space in crowd city environments.
This apartment was of the janitor of the building until was retired the service in the community. The small, tiny, dark and isolated space was acquired by a neighbor living below as an opportunity to expand their family space outside. The family wanted an extra space, independent from their house, where to celebrate, study, read, or play joining natural light.
The challenge was to open the apartment to the terraces and connect the spaces making the transition as easiest as possible. Windows were opened in both façades to connect the interior with north and south terraces. The floor was lifted in the extremes of the apartment to be at the same level of the outside and blur the limits between exterior and interior. Likewise to enhance the link, the pavement inside and outside is the same and carpentries can be folded to maximize the opening.
The apartment of no more than 60m2 connects north and south façades of the building without any vertical division, providing a wonderful feeling and filter, between the mountain views of La Musara and the inside of a cosy courtyard. Terraces which have a similar dimension than the interior space, are outlined to respond to orientations and uses, and accommodate summer dinners and parties at the same time that welcome and gather long readings and siestas.
To foster natural light inside, and to create the atmosphere of being closely connected to the outside, original openings were kept in the dividing walls on the patios at the same time that openings were enlarged to connect to the terraces and a skylight was opened on top of the entrance and the toilet, to make the owners dream possible of taking shower looking to the sky.
The organization of the space is linked to the original structure of the building and materials wanted to foster the comfort of the users. Wood and plaster are the main elements configuring the rooms, while steal works, tiles contribute, and fabrics provide little changes in the general atmosphere.
