A transformation of a 1980s agricultural house on the outskirts of the Spanish town of Loiu, Re-house is a horizontally split home curated for its owners, an elderly couple and their daughter. Designed by studio Azab, the structure reconfigures and combines the couple's farm work with their daughter's telework while also responding to the future with positivity.
Previously intended for agricultural storage, the ground floor now houses the parents' house while the daughter's apartment lies above. The two homes have independent front doors but share a common entrance space on the ground floor. The building's exterior is subdued, with a plain façade accented with a subtle diamond pattern.
A dual interpretation of domestic life, the project embraces the surrounding fields at both levels. While the ground floor acts as a natural continuation of the landscape, the first floor floats above, enjoying the expansive views beyond. Despite being planned for autonomous use, the house directs toward a rich blend that meets the differing needs of the two user groups with a few typological ambiguities.
With an almost transparent envelope along its edge and an open plan framework that integrates the wet areas (bathrooms and kitchen) in the central axis, the ground floor opens into the landscape. The exposed concrete frame and lightly painted walls of the farmhouse are visible throughout the interiors, along with hints of vibrant colours, mirrors, and ribbed glass.
In contrast to the ground floor, the upper-level house is composed of a series of rooms of similar proportions, each with a distinct relative position and opening of doors and windows, resulting in an interactive plan that can be used in several ways. Organised around a central access area that also serves as a kitchen, the space is illuminated by two angular skylights.
In a nutshell, the project seeks to enhance the possibilities of the built mass by granting it an innovative image and modified characteristics that enable the effective and compatible use of two houses.
