REFORM OF SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING | PORTOCOLOM

LOCATION: PORTOCOLOM, FELANITX | TECHNICAL ARCHITECT: CARLES PACHÓN QUETGLAS | BUILDER: CONFUTUR | PHOTOGRAPHY: JAUME GAIÀ & LLORENÇ GRIS

The most remarkable about the integral restoration of this house is that it precisely does not look like there has been a restoration work. Everything seems new, original and it actually is, but on a given base. The new owners of a property from the 80s requested us to make a total image change, without producing more debris than necessary.

The customers purchased the house rather because of the privileged location above the sea, next to the Portocolom lighthouse which used to serve as a small harbour for the fishermen, and not because of the building itself. The building had hosted several owners, and this had damaged the architecture of the building.

The first task was a complete cleaning and the demolition of all of the unnecessary elements, such as porches with no positioning towards the light, stone veneers, cornices and exterior stairs.

All of this process was done in order to have an empty structure that could allow us to imagine the new future of the house. From there on it was very easy to continue. Our main purpose was to find the best views and the light. A functional programme designed to accommodate a big family during the summertime. The interior was distributed in 5 bedrooms with a bathroom.

On the ground floor we find the open kitchen and the living room in the direction of the sea. The vertical axis of the building is the staircase that forms along the circular tower with a skylight on top. It is a big source of light that spreads all over the house from the sky.

The architecture is characterized by clear lines, adapting to the landscape. The white on the walls, the cream colour and the grey (resulting from the polished cement) on the interior pavement make a simple and pure space.

The only added element to the original building is a big lookout on top of the building; it is like a canvas that portrays a different painting every day, as is the bay of Portocolom.