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Project Details:

Location: Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Architect: Auba Studio / @aubastudio

Footprint: 1,140 square feet

Photographer: José Hevia

From the Architect: “The difficulty in finding affordable rentals and the limited supply of affordable housing in Palma led the owners to seek alternative solutions. NZ10 is the result of a renovation of an old bakery from the ’80s into a home. The apartment is located on the ground floor in one of the densest neighborhoods in Palma. The project basically tries to find a balance between natural lighting, privacy, and landscape.

“The backyard was recovered by removing the old kitchen. The tiling was maintained as a wink to the bakery and complements the patio plants while providing an acoustic cushion. The wall that divided the back part (the old kitchen) from the front part is now open. This allowed light to penetrate from the front to the rear. Two stained glass windows extend from wall to wall, one on the front side and one on the back side facing the patio. Finally, the ground floor grows approximately seven feet toward the patio. This new addition, which amounts to a porch, is executed by means of a light element and with a glazed roof that, due to its location to the north, does not receive any sun.

“To try to soften the direct contrast between the house and the street, an intermediate space is generated. In this way, the interior of the house leads directly through the stained-glass window to this ‘batiport,’ which is protected from outside views by means of a system of inclined steel slats. This system is strongly inspired by the solutions made in places like Barcelona by Cru studio.

“Nature is introduced within the home to generate an interior landscape. In the patio, a linear planter is created with a continuous bench visible from anywhere inside. A larger garden houses a tree and a technical space. This landscape is maximized due to the interior-exterior relationship that has been fostered throughout the house. This results in a feeling of spaciousness, since the front and rear patios are both visually part of the home’s interior.

“A piece of fir wood furniture spanning the space is placed perpendicular to the patio in such a way that it allows the flow of light between the patio and the façade while dividing the house into two areas: the living area and the bedrooms. In the day area we have a living room/dining room/kitchen. The kitchen is centered on a stainless-steel island and is supported by the main cabinet. In the night area there are two bedrooms, a main one with an en suite bathroom and an auxiliary room. The bathroom areas are located between both rooms. All the new actions are carried out with fir wood elements so that the new interventions are clear while providing the warmth that a space with little light needs.”

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