kh

rompecapeza
spring term 2008 - professor a. spiro, assistant v. ly

with florence willi

house of a night watchman
for the centro de estudios hidrograficos in madrid by miguel fisac

the house is like a big stairway with all the rooms and functions located on the landings and on the steps. the room division is led by a divison of work and leisure time, and by a gradient of brightness from the room for supervision of the area on the top level to the sleeping area on the bottom level.

above ground, the building is a panel construction with the load-bearing layer on the inside. the elements are prefabricated out of a derived timber product. the curtain-wall facing transports the inner structure via the jointing to the façade.

the stairs are not limited to the inside. they penetrate the walls and serve as well as a staircase on the outside, referencing the roof of the main building.

the only organic form in the building is the space-saving hand rail. it is winding its way up in the center of the building serving as an ornament for the whole space.