Project posted by Estudio ji Architects

Casa KA

Year
2023
Structure
Apartment
Style
Modern

Credits

From Estudio ji Architects

This small apartment located in the limits of the Traditional Historic Center of Altea, is positioned high, on the corner and with very well directed views towards a Mediterranean Sea framed by tile roofs and trees. Thanks to this magnificent position, it has a very interesting perimeter of holes, which in its current state is very compartmentalized into a bedroom, a bathroom, a living room-kitchen and a terrace, which, proportionally, has a very unbalanced surface in relative to the total area of the house.
The unique and obvious idea of the owners is to open up and expand their living spaces, thus reducing the terrace space, while retaining a small outdoor area for their plants and flowers.

With this idea, our action consists of giving continuity and fluidity to the house, connecting each space without closing it off, and enhancing the great value of its "edge" open to the views.

To do this, we "relax" all those points, ledges and corners that we find in said perimeter by means of soft turns of the furniture that, in turn, enhance the fluidity of the space.

On the most opaque side of the house, we extend and adapt a large beech wood piece of furniture that resolves the different uses with the same strategy and homogeneity. Through this piece of furniture we access the house, we access the bathroom, the kitchen appears, we store belongings, we air-condition the home, we sit down to eat and we even transform it to sleep.

On the 2 opposite façades with their 10 outward openings, the mission, in addition to loosening those points of tension that visually divide spaces, is to "merge" and integrate the openings with the furniture, making it a single continuous space and fluid that is altered in the transitions between rooms. In this way, furniture arises in that they are cabinets, shelves, work spaces or even hanging storage pieces that become passage thresholds.

As for colors and materials, we decided to absorb a certain amount of light with colors provided by slightly toned beech wood, black brushstrokes located in holes and a single gray microcement floor that gives continuity to the entire house.