Equipo Olivares Arquitectos . photos: © Flavio Dorta
Hemmed between two side walls in a small lot in the old city center of San Cristóbal de La Laguna – a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was founded on an ancient lagoon in the late fourteenth century – this single‐family home complies plainly with the strict requirements of the Plan Especial del Conjunto Histórico (Special Plan for the Historic Site) while adapting to the particular climate conditions of the area, including its specific solar orientation to Cristino de Vera street, and various references to local architecture.
We sheltered the north facade, presenting it as a bare and slightly hollowed front – a bushhammered wall that is almost blind and finished in a dark glazing. Torn by two wooden strips forming a lattice, the facade of Casa VIC is a solidly carved frieze that gravitates toward a polished, white, and smooth base. The massive enclosures of the nearby cloistered convents, the agricultural trellises of the Vega Lagunera, or the imposing presence of the cathedral, built in black volcanic stone from Arucas, are all referents that ground the project in its location, while the finishes and building techniques employed evoke contemporary practices.
In parallel, the interior makes use of the south face to drown in the light that breaks into the house through a generous skylight above the entrance hall and the staircase, or through two interior courtyards that allow uses that differ from the exterior, multiplying the possibilities of the living spaces. Furthermore, the ground floor rests on a ventilated screed, facilitating the lower ventilation flow that protects it from dampness, and insulating it from the ground.
We selected a limited palette of materials: different finishes on concrete walls and floors, meticulous woodwork designed with plywoods veneered in white melamine, bright terrazzo splattered with arid dark tones, and simple railings of galvanized, folded, and lacquered tubes. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the die‐cut wall which separates the large inner courtyard improves privacy in the main bedroom while sieving the sunbeams and filtering them on the variously textured surfaces.
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Team:
Architects: Javier Pérez‐alcalde Schwartz Fernando Aguarta García
Surveyor: José Floreal Martínez Bermúdez
Studio: Equipo Olivares Architects
Developer: Miriam González De Aledo / Jorge Martín
Builder Co.: Construcciones Francisco Rodríguez Reyes S.l.
Photography: Flavio Dorta
