The Staircase in This Small Spanish Apartment Hides a Secret Toilet

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Project Details:

Location: Madrid, Spain

Architect: Burr / @burr.studio

Footprint: 720 square feet

Permits and Legal Architecture: García de los Muros

Photography: Maru Serrano

From the Architect: "The layout of this former furrier’s shop posed the main constraint for accommodating the new program: a dwelling for two people. The floor plan is split into two bands of roughly equal width: one at street level, with a generous ceiling height; the other raised above it, forming a mezzanine that allows cars to pass beneath in route to a garage in the basement of the building. These narrow, unevenly tall strips create an L-shaped section, making a staircase necessary to connect the two levels. This stair becomes a central feature of the project, combining its connective role with a storage function made possible by the void beneath its treads. These concealed spaces house appliances, food, cleaning supplies, and a compact bathroom, similar in scale to those found on trains or planes. Everything is hidden behind a series of stepped doors that follow the profile of the stair, making the compartments almost invisible.

"The split level also helps to organize the program along a gradient of public to private uses. The circulation forms a U-shape, beginning at the entrance from the street and looping back toward the main facade at the upper level, after passing through the entirety of the home.

"Both levels open onto internal courtyards. The lower and more public space connects to a communal patio, while the upper (more private) area opens onto a terrace directly linked to the dwelling. Openings on both facades enable cross ventilation, which is enhanced by the absence of partition walls—except in the case of the bathroom.

"As the unit sits beneath a large residential block, part of its ceiling was traversed by shared building services running at different heights. To acoustically and visually isolate these, a half-barrel vault was introduced in the public-facing portion of the home, lending an ironic sense of monumentality to this modest corner of Madrid’s southern district."