Private Collective Housing, Madrid

Private Collective Housing, Madrid

Projects 4

Delivered: 2005 Spring

Tutor: Antonio Vélez

TU: Ynzenga

This new residential development of thirty one dwellings, facilities and two little shops forms part of the rehabilitation project of the downtown Madrid. The five-storey building is raised up between two existing one’s. Thus, the project has only two elevations: one to a traffic road and other to a pedestrian street. There is a three meters (nine, eighty-five feet) difference level between the streets, and are separated fifty meters (a hundred and sixty-four feet).

The large length of the site forces the design to make an inner courtyard. This courtyard houses the two exterior circulation cores, located close to the existing buildings end walls. The pedestrian access to the building is prompted by two streets, but in different level. The vehicles access is located in traffic road and leads to the single-storey car park by an L-shaped ramp.

The programme is divided in two bands, flushed with the streets. Owing to the difference in floor level, the band storeys are not at the same height. The main orientation of the issues is northwest-southeast. In ground floor there are shops and the gym. Upper plans houses are designed in four types of intern dwellings with removable wood walls. The surface of this dwellings is from 30 m² (325 ft²) in lofts to 120 m² (1290 ft²) in four-bedroom flats.

Research Library + Housing for CU, NY

Research Library + Housing, Columbia University, NY

Degree Final Project

Delivered: 2010 June

Tutor: José Antonio Ramos Abengózar

TU: Vicens

This project situated on the northern part of the Manhattan Island, above Central Park, will provide with new facilities for the Columbia University. The new programme comprises a low-rise research library and a high-rise housing for students, teachers and celebrity guests. The project will be developed inside Morningside Park plot, close to the eastern edge.

The strategy leading the project is the lower invasion of the park, due to the delicate design’s situation and the historical detractors of building inside the park. The building flushes with Morningside Dr.  and takes advantage of the street slope to prompt accesses to the different parts of the programme.

Formal building’s appearance is treated like a sculpture to adapt it to the park. The elevations are carved to get a different sensation step by step. The whole building is covered by a spread aluminium mesh to reach the changing look and to control the light and temperature in the inner spaces.

“Building gets dressed of park”

Two different programs, library and housing, are proposed and linked by the communication cores.

Library programme is divided in four storeys. Main of them is park height which comprises a huge study lounge with catalogue stacks. Upper floor is developed in two ribbons leaving a central void. Research works are carried out in this storey. Third level is for educational uses, comprising classrooms and audiovisual spaces. Finally, last level is developed in slope and takes in the inner street connecting two upper accesses.

Housing programme distinguish among dwelling typologies. These are complemented with servant spaces storeys: studying storey, living storey or gym storey at the top of the tower. Housing levels are divided in five individual rooms, two studios with cooking equipment and an apartment with two different spaces: living and working-resting.

Materials are selected following the strategy: long-life with less maintenance. Building components are concrete structure with steel beams and pillars and prefabricated slabs; stud-frame GRC for façades cladding with metallic mesh. Library is covered by a glazed span made up of trusses. Illumination is completed with ceiling pending luminaires and down lights.