The comprehensive renovation of this house for a musician in the heart of Granada's Albaicín began by recognising the strengths of a humble construction more than 120 years old, preserving its structural elements and some of its finishings while introducing contemporary building materials and solutions, taking cues from the renewed aesthetics typical of the neighbourhood, of Muslim origin.
The renovated house was developed vertically, from a ground floor with thick walls of stone and earth enclosing a rear patio, and open, diaphanous spaces intended for musical rehearsal and composition, through the pre-existing staircase, its last section being expanded towards the new rooftop terrace. From this space the musician is able to behold the district's historical and landscape context. The first and second floors contain the residential spaces, with the main living room space and kitchen on the second floor, taking advantage of the views of the Generalife gardens and the Silla del Moro castle, and to provide more direct access to the terrace.
A selective demolition of the interiors of the house was carried out, salvaging its wooden beams, stones, mosaic tile floors, wooden doors and brick. Among the new materials that were introduced, of particular importance are the ceramics from the area's traditional manufacturing centres, including terra cotta, Fajalauza tiles, and stone from the Elvira mountain range. The new metallic elements, of steel, such as the bars, and the staircase to the roof, were designed for lightness, and are enamelled with a aquamarine tone typical of Granada's decorative elements.
The combination of materials employed reveals and honours the construction system underlying the previous dwelling, while drawing a clear line between the old and the new. The contrast between the wear of the recovered materials and the modern manufactured ones is placed on display without any qualms in this domestic structure inspired by the Moorish tradition, where these elements are harmoniously combined and have a special way of averting the mere mimicry of tradition, enhancing the Albaicín quarter's domestic architecture through a philosophy based on integration, continuity and respect.
The House of the Old and New embraces the architectural culture of its historical environment, but with a contemporary approach, in the same way that the music composed by its inhabitant draws on flamenco traditions, but places a modern twist on them through contemporary sounds and instrumentations.
Material Used :
1. Bathrooms tiling: Fajalauza Ceramics
2. Toilets: Roca
3. Sinks: Cielo Ceramics
4. Floors: Cerámica Castillo Siles S.L.
5. Fachade finishing: Cumen Morteros de Cal
