Banking
Comes

Institutional Building in Pedreguer, Alicante

TYPE

Institutional Building

YEAR

2020

SURFACE

550m²

LOCATION

Pedreguer, Alicante

The Comes brothers donated their old family residence to the Pedreguer Town Hall. The objective was to convert it into a meeting point for the elderly. The interventions that had taken place in the building in previous years had created a chaotic space. To organize it we chose to empty the interior and create a diaphanous room that, connected to the courtyard, generates a bright and spacious environment; like the garden in which the owners played as children.

A bright environment for a meeting point for seniors.

01_Landscape

It is a large building wedged between two houses. It follows the typical structure of village houses: three floors, a very elongated floor and a backyard. This house has a great sentimental and historical value both for its former inhabitants and for the inhabitants of Pedreguer. Private bank on the first floor and dwelling on the upper floor, its huge back garden was the bright playground of Mr. Comes’ children and all his childhood friends. The space occupied by this garden was donated by the family and converted into the Plaza de la Amistad, for public use since 2000.

02_Object

The multifunctional use of the building and the relevance of the natural light that filters through the courtyards made us decide to eliminate the elements of the old building that blocked the fluidity. We introduced a clean glass box that functions as a central light receiver; light that ends up being projected throughout the interior of the building. The old corridor that separated the two wings of the house (too wide for carriages to pass through) becomes a radiant courtyard that pays homage to the old garden – today a public square – with which it is still connected.

03_Skin

We decided to respect the appearance of the old façade and opted for simplicity in the new construction. Finally, we selected elements that give the space comfort and warmth-a simple metal structure and colorful ceramic materials reminiscent of the old courtyard-to make its users feel at ease in this environment.

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