Housing, Elmas

Strictly aligned along the street, the new housing structure stands out from the surroundings with its white colour, which serves as a flat canvas for the mustard-yellow composition of the openings. These windows, in two different sizes, create a vibrant and binomial play of open/closed. Entrance to the different housing units, either the duplexes on the ground floor or the rest of the apartments, is achieved through the inner courtyard. Here the secondary, south-east facade results in more articulation in terms of volume, highlighting a continuous covered balcony that connects the mesh-covered exterior staircase with the different units. Both the facade's disposition of openings and its colour palette recall the street appearance.

Some elements – such as the balcony cantilevering 1,5 meters from the vertical plane of the facade, or the exterior staircases – find an alternative shape in order to fulfil the programme requirements. The expertise of the designers it makes possible to undress the redundant layers, getting the most out of the essence and core values of those elements. With this newfangled and engaging design, 2+1 definitely challenges a building practice characterized by a market rule approach.