Typology of housing in Barcelona’s Eixample Cerdà in solutions of four apartments per floor. South facing through the gallery to the inner courtyard of the block. A previous renovation had eliminated all the original wooden carpentry and condemned the original hydraulic floor under a glued cork flooring.

It was decided to try to recover the hydraulic mosaic floor, despite the uncertainty of how the pieces would be found under the cork. A more open floor plan was sought, looking for slanted visuals that would give the maximum visual width to the space. The kitchen-dining room requested to make the most of the natural light coming from the gallery.

The uncovered hydraulic pavements are very varied and of intense colors. Once it is decided that the state of the pieces is usable, it is decided to give maximum prominence to the horizontal plane. Walls and ceilings with white finish and only light birch wood in the vertical plane.

The limitation in the amount of materials manages to unify and bring order to the whole. No new partitions are built, a furnished floor made entirely of birch plywood, brings together kitchen cabinets, general storage and clothing. The rest of the custom-made furniture is made of the same material, such as the study table (integrated into the corridor), the bed headboard, the bathroom cabinets… all with smooth tile and made to measure for each space.

The exterior carpentry of the gallery was not renovated, but traditional light wood alicantina type exterior roller blinds were installed, which provide sun protection in the summer without sacrificing luminosity.

Thermal comfort is achieved in winter by heating with water radiators. In summer it relies basically on the ease of generating cross ventilation and a split for the peaks of heat and humidity characteristic of summer in Barcelona.