Sometimes projects are not the product of free will, but arise from extraneous circumstances that are initially perceived as a problem. Our desire to construct a new house in a 1950’s zone of single family dwellings had to confront the by-laws which not only prohibited the demolition of a building lacking any architectural value whatsoever, but also explicitly protected the original construction materials and the volume, covered by a hipped roof. How could we reconcile this with our project for a new dwelling based on a concept radically opposed to the existing house, let alone preserve the original volume and materials? Our proposal produces an in-depth transformation of the building on the basis of just two architectural operations: a new wood envelope around the volume of the old house, and a central spine that runs through the full height of the interior spaces. The envelope consists of a skin of high-density bakelized wood boards. This skin is attached to the existing walls with aluminium battens, with an intermediate air gap that also enables it to work as a ventilated facade. The ground floor is covered in a similar style using undulating aluminium sheeting. The hipped roof is clad in copper to provide continuity to the wall colour. Inside, the maximum number of service elements for the main areas- wardrobes, bookshelves, electronic appliances, ducting, pantry etc., are concentrated around one central feature, the real backbone of the house, in order to free up the rest of the floor space. Envelop and concentrate are two simple operations which arose in response to a specific problem. But to what extent do they perhaps suggest solutions to much more general issues that affect the concept of the home and its transformation to match new lifestyles?