«This meant that the house and its space had to be fully enjoyable and adaptable to each case,» the architects told Dezeen. «The design had to harmonise tradition and modernity,» said the architects, «we combined local materials like ceramic tiles and whitewashed walls with sleek and modern solutions like laminated wood and polycarbonate.»
On the ground floor a bedroom and a bathroom are located in the new building, while a living space and kitchen with pine plywood cabinets and surfaces are situated in the old stone structure. Axonometric diagram – click for larger imageGround floor plan – click for larger imageFirst floor plan – click for larger imageSection – click for larger image XLMS refurbished and extended the two-storey 19th century house in Mallorca, called Ca s’Ametller, adding a steel and polycarbonate-clad extension to the stone structure to accommodate further bedrooms, living spaces and an artist’s studio. «The main requirement for the folding doors was to be light and easy to open and close. Related story: Charred-timber extension by A1 Architects transforms an old cottage into a home and studioThe Barcelona-based studio was asked to design a space with flexibility of use, primarily to be made use of as a holiday home for a couple, but occasionally for extended family reunions. The extension is clad in steel and polycarbonate panelling that coordinates with the interior detailing. A metal mesh layered over the frosted polycarbonate sections is intended to support vines and planting that will grow over the facade to create a «green wall». «The house can adapt from being a one-room house to a four-room house and all the spaces fulfil a function at all times.»
The house has five open-plan spaces – two in permanent use as living rooms and three with sliding wooden walls that can split to join them together. «We also wanted to have the bond between the interior intervention and the new facade, and we did this through the polycarbonate panels.»
Doors with fir-wood frames and polycarbonate inserts fold back across the interior spaces to subdivide the open-plan living space into separate rooms when the house is fully occupied. «As continuous as the space needed to be on the inside, we thought that a new volume had to stand out from the existing 19th century house to clearly portray the architectural intervention,» XLMS architect Xavi Lozano Segarra told Dezeen. On the upper floor, sections of pine are set into the predominantly orange tiled floor to visually differentiate the spaces. «The intention for the whole project was for it to be harmonious and light to emphasise the space. «We chose the same pavement, ceramic planks, for both interior and exterior to enforce the idea of the house being livable both inside and outside,» he added. The ceiling is clad with sections of oriented strand board (OSB) – a heavily textured chipboard.
