Barcelona, Spain
“The house aims to frame and close off a piece of air at this area in Barcelona and emphasizes its main construction elements,” states Marc Subirana from MACH.
Marc Subirana and Laia Gelonch from the Barcelona-based firm Mach painted their industrial steel structure yellow in between the Coll and the Carmel hill near one of the back entrances to Park Güell, a renowned park designed by Antoni Gaudi in 1914.
At first glance, the dilemma of whether it is actually a house or an office has already created its mystery for the passersby.
With its shining façade among the existing residential fabric, it creates an interesting silhouette as if it had opened its big eyes and was looking at the passers-by.
Collumpio House is a three-story house that offers flexible spaces for both living and working.
The internal program of the house is shaped around a central core where a bathroom and storage are placed.
While the first two floors are dedicated to private spaces, the top floor is used for an office.
The architects designed a heavy plinth consisting of a sunken floor, intending to relate the garden and the earth.
On top of it, they devised a light metal yellow framework structure to open up the building towards the landscape and the sun.
According to the studio, the house had to be able to change with its inhabitants and allow it to open up new spaces in the future.
The sunken floor is dedicated for a full of privacy, such as a bedroom, while the first floor is designed for the living room and kitchen.
A steel, yellow-colored staircase leads users to the upper floor where big office space is designed.
The house features different pieces of furniture, some built-in, which are the ones that finish building the space.
The architects painted the steel structure with a yellow color that surprisingly gives joy and creates a contrast with the green of the landscape and the blue of the sky.
The design team adopted the flexibility inside so that they can design all spaces efficiently and benefit from the daylight.
Wood furniture designed by Sebastia complements the soul of the spaces in a smooth transition.
Project: Casa Collumpio
Architects: Mach
Lead Architect: Marc Subirana
Client: Private
Photographers: Del Rio Bani and Mark Rabadan
