PROGRAM: Residential
AREA: 354 m²
LOCATION: Gràcia, Barcelona, Spain
STATUS: Completed
TIMEFRAME: 2012–2014
GG House transforms and extends a single-storey home on a square in Barcelona’s Gràcia district, preserving a façade connected to the urban heritage of the place. The intervention begins with this existing condition and seeks to reconcile the memory of the building with the needs of contemporary domestic life.
A stepped volume is placed above the original construction, allowing sunlight to continue reaching the garden. The relationship between old and new is built through filters, voids and intermediate spaces that mediate between the life of the square and domestic privacy.
The interior of the house is conceived as a dynamic spatial sequence, where solids and voids alternate to generate fluid circulation paths. The double-height spaces and an open layout allow natural light to define the interior atmosphere, providing visual and sensory comfort.
The pre-existing volume is partially emptied to accommodate a large living room, which becomes the public heart of the house. In this space, a sculptural spiral staircase connects the four levels and functions as the central axis of the house, structuring family life and introducing a piece of strong architectural presence.
The existing façade is carefully restored, preserving its heritage value, while the new extension acts as a filter between the vibrant life of the plaza and the interior of the house. This filter not only protects the privacy of the inhabitants but also allows the house to participate in urban life in a controlled way, creating a balance between openness and protection, between privacy and connection with the surroundings.
The GG House seeks to reconcile tradition and modernity through architecture, integrating passive lighting and ventilation strategies with a contemporary design of intermediate spaces. The project demonstrates that, even in dense historical contexts, it is possible to design homes that respond to the climate, the functional program, and the urban fabric without sacrificing identity or spatial quality. The house thus becomes an example of how the building’s skin, filters, and controlled voids are fundamental to creating comfortable, sustainable, and characterful environments.
DIRECTOR: Xavier Vilalta
PROJECT LEADER: Maria Rosaria Favoino
PROJECT TEAM: Joao Medeiros, Miguel Sánchez Enkerlin
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Miguel Nevado