The project is based on the comprehensive rehabilitation and expansion of a unique building from the early 20th century in the Arganzuela neighbourhood, in the center of the city of Madrid. It is a very particular building, not only because of its architecture and unique details, but also because of its history.

The original building belonged to a family that was dedicated to the sale of milk, it had an adjoining construction where the cattle were kept, in this particular case, cows. The office where the milk was sold daily was on the ground floor, under the ornate sign “La Auxiliadora Gran Vaquería” made in large brass letters, decorated with pieces of marble and topped with wavy and softened shapes typical of the art deco movement.

The building is structured on four levels, the ground floor belonged to the commercial premises where customers were served and the product was stored, on the right bank there was a passage for vehicles or carts that gave access to a large inner courtyard of the block and in On the left side of the façade is the portal of the building that gives access to the dwellings and connects in turn with the dairy store. The upper floors had an exclusively residential use and were organized in one house per floor, being the place of residence of the whole family in Madrid.

The client asked the architecture studio for a reinterpretation of the building and to achieve the maximum use of the building area on the plot, so that as many houses as possible could be built. Following these premises, the rehabilitation of the building was approached by studying its structure and each of the elements that make it up. From the analysis, the elements with the greatest architectural value of the property to be recovered and the formula to enhance them were synthesized. In parallel, an exhaustive study was carried out not only of the adjoining buildings of the plot but of all those on the street, so that heights, architectural styles, materials... and their relationship with the Madrid environment were analysed.

Thus, some criteria of rhythm, dimensions of openings and shades of materials are established, which will be the criteria adopted in the comprehensive rehabilitation of the building. On the façade, its narrow and elongated terraces stand out, softened in curves and its rounded railings, an exercise in recovery is made, playing with stucco and ceramics, all in raw tones blending with the typical colors of Madrid's brick buildings. . The entire lower part of the dairy is recovered, with its signs and marble, taking advantage of the gaps to turn it into the entrance door to the building, creating a wide portal that invites you to enter.

The lateral passage is enlarged to allow the comfortable entrance of vehicles and incorporate a private parking area for the houses in the inner courtyard of the block. The original building is molded looking for the maximum use and thus exhausting its buildability, for this reason an emptying operation is carried out in the entire core of original stairs and it is moved to the outside incorporating a new elevator.

With this operation it is necessary to create a new light slab to make use of this emptying operation and the interior façade is extended to the patio. A central patio is also created that allows a correct flow of ventilation and lighting to all the rooms, ensuring that all the spaces of the houses have access to the outside.

Thanks to this subtraction strategy, enough square meters are freed up to be able to build two penthouses on a higher level, and a solarium on the terrace. Originally the building had 3 flats and with the rehabilitation project carried out by the architecture studio, four single flats, three double flats and two penthouses have been achieved. All the houses in the building are exterior, have underfloor heating, independent air conditioning and a private parking area. The architecture studio has sought with this project to rehabilitate the building, to be consistent with the history of the property and the city of Madrid, enhancing its virtues in balance with the environment, and maximizing all resources.