Stella House - Little Big Houses

The architects of PKMN Architectures studio have again revolutionized a conventional housing taking its maximum profitability with mobile modules that allow a greater flexibility and a better use of usable space.

Stella House by PKMN Architectures. Photography © Javier de Paz García.

We have previously published in Metalocus the Yolanda House and the MJE House. Stella House is the third of the Little Big Houses, the project developed by PKMN Architectures to reform homes with modular and mobile elements. It is perhaps the most simple intervention, with only two motorized mobile modules in this case, but it effectively meets the needs of the clients, whose guest space problem has been solved without loosing the common space.

Description of the project by PKMN Architectures

Stella is Colombian and her husband Michael comes from England. The couple lives with their two young children in the center of Madrid. They frequently have visits from relatives and friends from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

The well-known “guest room” seemed the only possible solution for their situation but it narrowed excessively their social spaces, the heart of their home, where the whole family meets. A daybed was not even an option, they didn’t want to turn their living room into a kind of improvised bedroom.

A motor-driven moving wall four and a half meters long allows them to have an extra bedroom that disappears at a simple push of a buttom, an extra space that have, over time, become Michael and Stella’s office, when they have to finish some work at home. It also provides a folding dining table on one side and works as playroom for the children at the same time. Guest room appears only at night and during the day it can be narrowed so that it becomes a wardrobe where guests can change clothes.

CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-

Architects.- PKMN architectures.
Collaborators.- Alessia Mansutti, Carol P. Linares, Elena Cantoni y Magdalena Koftis.
Clients.- Stella y Michael.
Video.- Javier de Paz García [www.estudioballoon.es] + PKMN [pacman].
Dates.- May-Agosto 2014.
Location.- Madrid (Spain).

Video showing the mobile systems.

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Casa Stella pStella House by PKMN Architectures. Photography © Javier de Paz García.or PKMN Architectures. Fotografía © Javier de Paz García.

Floor plan in open position. Stella House by PKMN Architectures.

Floor plan in closed position. Stella House by PKMN Architectures.

Elevation. Stella House by PKMN Architectures.

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More information

[pacman] Architectures. PKMN

PKMN is an arch office and collective based in Madrid [Spain] since 2006.

Graduated at Technical University of Madrid, they have been awarded by Università La Sapienza(Rome), Instituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, Ecole d'Architecture de Paris Val-de-marne, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia in Spain.

Carmelo Rodríguez, David Pérez, Enrique Espinosa y Rocío Pina have collaborated with many offices and practices: Juan Herreros, SOLID (Soto y Maroto), Javier Revillo, MI5 Arquitectos, Enrique Krahe, Andrés Jaque, José Mª Ezquiaga, ZooHaus, F8 Arquitecturas, Carlos Arroyo y Emilio Luque. They do research into technology - typology - construction (applied to consolidated urban contexts, local memory and contemporary cultures); simultaneously they love exploring new architectural fields connecting citizens, identity, pedagogy, communication, game, action and cities, specially throughout strategies of participation, mediation and social innovation, and experimental active learning process. They`re fulfilled diverse projects in Spain such as New Teruel Market Square, Oficina Gratuita de Arquitectura, Europan, Innopia, El Madrileño del Año, Plan Extinción or Museo MASJ in Alcázar de San Juan.

They develop an action and pedagogical workline called "City creates City" (with Diana Hernández, Alejandra navarrete, Carlos Mínguez and Almudena mestre, who have worked with PKMN in another projects) dealing with Spanish universities, portuguese, mexican and argentinian, such as La Coruña, Sevilla, UCJC Madrid, Chihuahua, Mexico DF, Buenos Aires, cities as Caceres, Toledo, Merida or Burgos and companies as Fagor or AENA. They have taken part in exhibitions such as XIII Bienal Buenos Aires, EME3 (CCCB-BCN), Archivo de Creadores (Matadero-Madrid) FreshMadrid & FreshLatino (COAM, I.Cervantes), AlNorte2010 or Post-post-post, and their work has been published by Mark, Pasajes, AV, METALOCUS, El País, El Economista, Arquire, Europan, Fundación Arquia, Future and other media.

Published on: November 24, 2015

Cite: "Stella House - Little Big Houses" METALOCUS. Accessed

<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/stella-house-little-big-houses> ISSN 1139-6415