Calza House-transforming spaces | Eseiesa Architect
CONCEPT
The Calza House is located inside an historical building of the city centre of Valencia. Its small dimensions were the biggest challenge of the design process. Therefore, it follow the idea of a concept house, based on transforming spaces inside one single, changing, multifunctional and dynamic space.
There are three key points: the space, constantly changing; the furniture, as an essential element to reach this dynamism; and the feeling of home, as the main goal, achieved thanks to the sensory experience that materials and lighting system create.
The space makes sense together with the furniture and, both of them together; give the feeling of home a meaning.
FACT FILE:
Architectural firm: ESEIESA ARCHITECT
Location: VALENCIA (SPAIN)
Year: 2017-2018
Building company: BOJUNA S.L.
Carpentry company: NONNA DESIGN
Photography: ALFONSO CALZA
DISTRIBUTION
The plan has an L shaped geometry. The exterior perimeter brings the natural light inside an open space, in which the whole project happens. The outside perimeter, completely opaque, contains a piece of furniture that hides the functional elements of a housing. With that, the open space transforms, starting as a hall and living area, where the other rooms, closed inside the furniture, open up as needed.
The living area is connected to the main façade, luminous and open to a big street, in contact with the city. The kitchen, hidden inside cabinets, opens (or closes) to the main dining room area. The other side of the L shaped plot is more isolated, it opens to a smaller street, so it contains the rest area. It has a big living room and the bathroom in the back part. Between them, with a sliding and folding panelling system, the main bedroom and dressing room shape their limits, occupying and reducing the living room area, and becoming a private master bedroom. The dressing room became a big design challenge. Created as a separated box split in half, it slides its front part towards the entrance hall, leaving the closet space in between. This detailed study of the panelling system, the transformation of the inside space becomes a simple and practical process on a daily use.
MATERIALS
The combination of tones and textures creates different ambiences inside one single open room, without any partition walls. Natural materials, such as wood and stone, bring the warm feeling of a home.
On one side, wood unifies the space, with oak wood floor all over the surface. On the other hand, covering with ash wood panels both the walls and low-heighted ceilings; different rooms are defined, like the bedroom or the kitchen.
Black slate creates chromatic and sensory contrast with the rest of the elements. It delimits different areas, such as the living room, or the bathing area, relaxing and intimate, like a spa. Its natural properties give as well comfort feeling.
Lastly, white coloured wood panels ensure the contrast between all the materials. Since it builds the furniture unit, this material visually emphasizes it, as an independent element. It increases the brightness in the house, reflecting natural light that reaches its surface. The same strategy takes place in the bathroom, where the privacy of the black slate covered area hits against a first, bright and luminous space, with white tones.
TECHNICAL SYSTEMS
Finally, the search for the home feeling ends up with a meticulous and precise design of the lighting and heating systems. There is a linear LED lighting system, set into the ceilings and into the lower part of the walls. All the lamps are automatic and adjustable, on both intensity and tone. Therefore, it is possible to create different ambiences depending on the light settings.
Underfloor heating system allows the warmth of natural materials to become a physical experience.
CONCLUSSION
The Calza House transforms depending on the moment and its needs, both sensorial and spatially. These possibilities give, despite its small dimensions, spaciousness and comfort feelings to the user.
