Diagonal apartments

The segregation of a flat in a building constructed in 1968 presents interesting characteristics due to the context of its construction. During the city’s growth boom in that period, industrialized materials began to be used, such as a structure based on steel pillars and beams, which greatly facilitates the redistribution of spaces in the renovation project.

The project’s program is organized into two main blocks: common areas and private areas. The resulting flats from the segregation follow a typical layout for their size, including an entrance hall, living-dining room, kitchen, guest toilet, 2 or 3 bedrooms, a storage room or dressing room, and 2 full bathrooms. The main rooms are always linked to one of the facades, either facing the street or oriented towards the block’s inner courtyard, while the secondary rooms are distributed in the interior area of the flat, where light and ventilation courtyards improve the conditions for the rooms that open onto them.

The segregation of a flat involves duplicating kitchens, common areas, and bathrooms, which presents a challenge in terms of preserving original elements due to the difficulty of integrating them into the new layout. However, in this case, certain valuable elements, such as the vaulted ceilings and plaster decoration with floral motifs, were identified and added value to the space. These elements were preserved, which conditioned the new layout of both flats.

In terms of the design solution, light partitions, glass enclosures, lattices, and sliding doors were used to delineate the spaces as needed. The transparency or semi-transparency of these elements allows for the open view or the subtle hint of adjacent rooms, creating a sense of spatial continuity. The combination of well-defined ceilings and light walls creates an interesting duality, where the ceilings appear to float above the walls, blending two distinct architectural languages within the same space.