The Yellow Steel Prop in This Stripped-Back Madrid Townhome Made Us Do a Double Take

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Project Details:

Location: Madrid, Spain

Architect: Extrarradio Estudio

Footprint: 732 square feet

Builder: Galera Reformas

Photographer: Germán Saiz

From the Architect: "The house is located in the Carabanchel neighborhood of Madrid, within a residential area of two-story terraced houses with backyards, built in the late 1940s. The house retained its original layout: on the ground floor, a living room, kitchen, and a single bathroom; on the first floor, three small bedrooms and a small hallway. The patio, completely covered with translucent polycarbonate, also housed a storage shed in poor condition.

"From the outset, the client was clear that the house had to reflect his lifestyle, casual and creative. A place focused on reunions, dinners, and parties. The project strategy consisted of stripping the house of all nonessential elements, reducing it to its primary structure: beams, walls, and roof frames. On this basis, conceived as a blank canvas, the new functional program was articulated. On the ground floor, a zigzag path was designed that runs along the perimeter walls, integrating the different elements of the program: toilet, kitchen, stairs, benches, and a small outdoor bathtub. On the upper floor, two independent volumes contain the bathroom and a secondary bedroom, also functioning as transitional elements between the primary bedroom and the study.

"The main challenge of the project was to incorporate the entire program into a limited space without compromising the spatial perception. To achieve this, both the floor plan and the section were liberated, avoiding unnecessary compartmentalization. In addition, the boxes containing the different uses do not reach the ceiling, allowing for the creation of hybrid, open, and flexible spaces that can be adapted to different forms of occupation. The use of color was conceived as a conceptual and compositional tool. Green, applied to the zigzag and functional volumes, establishes a clear presence that contrasts with the neutral white of the spatial base."