Comprehensive Reform: Structural Metamorphosis and Architectural Renewal
TECHNICAL SHEET
- Typology: Structural rehabilitation, Building engineering and Architecture.
- Key intervention: Shoring up of existing structure, elimination of load-bearing walls and opening of large spans on the façade.
- Status: Executed.
The BACKGROUND: A traditional and compartmentalized building. The original property was a traditional-style single-family home, characterized by a dated aesthetic with a tile roof, semicircular arches, classic balustrades and small openings. The existing structure, based on load-bearing walls and brick pillars, generated a highly compartmentalized interior distribution, darkness and disconnected from the outside area of the pool.
THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE: Structural engineering to free up space. The radical transformation seen in the images is not just a change of skin; It required a complex structural engineering intervention calculated to the millimeter. The desire to open the house to the outside required the elimination of the original structural elements of the façade (the arches and their supports). To make it viable, a system of structural reinforcements (*apeos) was calculated and executed, intermediating *high-capacity metal profiles, allowing it to support the loads of the upper floor and open large spans on the ground floor without the need for intermediate pillars.
THE ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTION: Minimalism and light. Once the new structural base was resolved, the architectural proposal focused on the purity of lines and the interior-exterior connection.
- Cubic Volumetry: The façade was regularized, eliminating the visible inclined roofs and traditional overhangs to achieve a contemporary and clean aesthetic.
- Large Windows: Thanks to the new structure, large-format glass closures were installed, including a *cantoner window that dissolves the physical boundary between the living room and the renovated pool terrace.
- Materials: The rustic finish was replaced with a smooth white plaster and the entire exterior flooring was renewed with large-format pieces, unifying the space.
FINAL RESULT: A completely revitalized property that has multiplied its functional and market value. The home has gone from being a closed space to a contemporary and bright residence, demonstrating that modern and open-plan architecture is only possible when it is supported by a rigorous structural calculation.
