Duplex Tibbaut – An Intervention Sees Two Apartments Joined into a Single Unit

Barcelona has become a bit of a hot spot for the renovation of old apartments in recent years. In particular, the street of El Raval has been home to a number of these restorations, including today’s post.

This apartment has been dragged into modernity by architect Raúl Sánchez. Sánchez was handed the challenge of overhauling two individual apartments and transforming them into a singe unit.

A single apartment had a footprint of 592.01-square-feet (55-square-meters). Doubling this space gave Sánchez almost 1,200-square-feet to play with. However, before getting to the retrofitting stage, they had to gut the units. Both apartments had been left in an “absolute state of neglect and disrepair”.

The client left a clear brief for the designer that focuses on introducing a series of living spaces dispersed throughout the two floors of the home. Some fairly major structural work was involved in opening up and bridging the two apartments. Vertical circulation is achieved internally by a new staircase.

There are two yellow boxes found in the middle of the property. One of them is used to house the staircase, the other is used to house a bathroom on the lower level, and a bedroom on the upper level. The boxes stand out against the mostly white backdrop of the other rooms, thanks to their bright yellow finish.

The lower level contains the bathroom, living room, and a number of ancillary spaces formed around the periphery of the yellow boxes. On the upper level you’ll find the bedroom, master bathroom, a walk-in closet, kitchen and dining area. In the kitchen/dining area, sections of the floor have been left open to the living room below.

From the architect: “n the ground floor, three existing paintings of Brazilian origin have been preserved, and the proposed inside circulation places them right at the stairs exit. These paintings are the reason the client, of Brazilian origin herself, initially decided to buy these two properties and undertake the project.”

For more apartments check out Garu Apartment, which sees a compartmentalized units opened up. Or, this small property from Madrid that takes advantage of concealed storage. See all apartments.

Photos © José Hevia