The revolutionary housing concept proposed by the Spanish practice Mansilla+Tuñón plays with the traditional idea of inside/ outside and the properties which are usually associated with each one of these spaces.Two perimeters with different properties mark the borders of the pavilion: the outermost of these is breathable and discontinuous, whereas the inner perimeter is continuous and waterproof. Thus was born an "in-between" area, a living space that is neither completely outside or completely inside.
The construction of the outer perimeter is resolved with bamboo trunks, an element very common in the area. The inner perimeter is made of framed glass sheets. The frames surround the pillars, thus hiding the structural appearance. This results in an ambiguous and abstract interior environment. The Interior Decorating has been designed by a Chinese decorator who is not related to the Spanish Practice.
Description of the Project by Mansilla+Tuñón Architects
The house exists inside a band of space that varies in width and in the quality of light it receives. In this way, the house is ambiguous–even from inside. You can enjoy the attributes of the outside and pretend that you are living outdoors and thereby feel closer to nature. Its shape is that of a breath exhaled into the air, aways variable and continuous. The entrance to the house operates like a glass funnel, giving you the impression of being inside when actually you are still outside. The eye perceives spaces that are alternately compressed and dilated, an intimation of the act of the living respiration itself, breathing organism. In the proximity of such splendorous nature, the house is a space that rolls around itself, like clothing, turn itself inside out. It is a space defined by the changing band that softens the summer sunlight and directs the points of view.The interior is fluid and continuous, a concrete slab on which the space for living has been drawn by an innocent hand, like chalk on a chalkboard. The technical instruments are arrayed like furniture, like people sitting in a forest clearing.
The concrete slab rests on the laminated steel pillars of the inner, grass perimeter; these pillars, placed approximately a meter and a half apart from each other, allow minimum sections of 6×10 cm. The glass is fitted between the pillars, using the steel structure for window frames. This structure at once materializes the glass perimeter and diffuses its structural appearance, emphasizing the linear continuity of the band.
The spatial understanding of the house as a whole permits flexible and versatile functioning. Common space, such as the kitchen and the living room, is near the entrance–open space with a transparent perimeter that allows for abundant ventilation and natural lighting. Next to the entrance is a small toilet room and wardrobe. The bedroom program has been thought out in such a way as to suit either a family unit or a more loosely associated group of individuals. Four bathrooms serve four rooms, which can be arranged equally as four bedrooms, two studios and two bedrooms and other combinations in between of them.
CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-
Architects.- Emilio Tuñón, Luis M. Mansilla and Luis Díaz-Mauriño.
Client.- China International Practical Exhibition of Architecture.
Architect in China.- Ding Wowo.
Collaborators.- Matilde Peralta, Clara Moneo, Asa Nakano, Catherine Cotting, Andrés Regueiro, Ricardo Lorenzana and María Langarita.
Project Date.- November 2003.
End of Construction Date.- 2014.
Built Area.- 400 sqm.
