Wooden beams

The first time we visited the DH20 HOUSE it was ruined. However, it was obvious that the house had many possibilities.   It was a very luminous house located in the historic center of Madrid, but in a quiet street. It occupied the last floor of the building and opened to a large block courtyard.   The client wanted to make a reform for their subsequent rental, so it was essential that the finishes were resistant and durable, without appearing cold or impersonal. That was the main reason why ceramic flooring was installed in beautiful spike veined gray, throughout the space. To counteract, an exhaustive work was carried out to recover existing elements, which became the main protagonists of the project.   On the one hand... More

This family house was abandoned after a major earthquake hit the region of Friuli in 1976 and the building cracked in two. The structure was immediately secured but the family was so shocked they decide to move elsewhere.After nearly 40 years of abandonment, one of the daughters decided to make the house her home again. Even if it was empty and unfurnished, the interiors were still full of memories and their good and bad meanings: for this reason, in the very beginning the client asked for a completely contemporary space, with no references to the recent past.However, the project ended up bringing out a unique heritage of old spaces and materials, combined with the family history and the history of the building, which simply could not be tr... More

During the life of a centuries old building, we are just a moment, a quick pass: our work, our signs have been added to those of our predecessors. Our purpose is to deliver a snapshot, a true picture of what we have done. New and old materials are kept exposed: concrete, iron, bricks, stone, wooden beams and planks. Everything is combined and composed by necessity, nothing more, nothing less.   During the life of a centuries old building, we are just a moment, a quick pass: our work, our signs have been added to those of our predecessors. Our purpose is to deliver a snapshot, a true picture of what we have done. New and old materials are kept exposed: concrete, iron, bricks, stone, wooden beams and planks. Everything is combined and... More

Hundreds of years experience in serving the community, the Vlietland Hospital in the Dutch town of Schiedom has placed high demands on hygiene, safety and efficiency. The hospital built in 1808 was restored and redesigned by EGM Architects (Dordrecht, NL) from 1999 to 2008. With its 450 beds, the modernised facility today takes care of a multitude of patients. The classically built hospital consists of a linear block with several irregular angles. Its shape resembles a hairpin. Glazed walkways connect the opposite sections of the building to keep walking distances short. Light-flooded transparency characterises the glazed ground floor, which is framed by thick, seemingly naturally grown wooden beams. Naturalness is the guiding theme o... More