Guest House in Girona

I quite honestly know absolutely nothing about this project – other than it’s a guest-house [I think], and the fact that I thought it looked pretty siiick. I’m really feeling the juxtaposition of the contemporary structure [it looks like corten steel, but I think it's iron clad?] with the existing, traditional main house. In addition to the contrast between the two structures in terms of form and material, there’s also this excavated space between the two – the function/intention of which, unfortunately, remains a mystery to me.

Here’s the description from Hidalgo Hartmann Arquitectura, the designer:
Nueva cabaña y accesos de masia.
La Garrotxa. Girona
2000-2004La intervención tiene como punto de partida el análisis de los diferentes elementos a con-servar, sus conexiones y la reordenación de los accesos para adecuarlo a un uso residen-cial.
La intervención consiste en el desplaza-miento del volumen anexo que consta de planta baja y un piso para crear un vacío entre éste y la casa principal. Este vacío en planta semisótano, actúa como acceso y dis-tribuidor entre las partes que conforman el conjunto de la masia. Se comunica con el exterior por sus dos extremos, uno a cota planta baja y otro a través de un suave talud que permite la entrada de luz de mañana a tarde con la posibilidad de atravesarlo como si de un camino se tratara. La nueva cabaña se concibe como un volumen arquetípico de chapa de hierro, como los cobertizos o caba-ñas que los payeses construyen para almace-nar leña o utensilios del campo, que revisten con las chapas de los bidones de gasóleo previamente rectificadas para convertirse en una plancha lisa.
So, does a Spanish-speaking/reading ninja out there feel like translating and leaving something in the comments section? I tried to use Babelfish, but that site isn’t really reliable for whole paragraphs, etc [or for anything, really].

.:more information [in Spanish] -> via Hidalgo Hartmann Arquitectura
Ed. Note: If nothing else, messing with this architecture blog thing for the past 2 years has taught me that I should learn Spanish if I want to be reading about awesome architecture [other than work from Japan, which seems to be translated into English more often].
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- arquitectura.mnp
- Queens Tropicale
- arquitectura.MNP : Ring Dome al fin
- Ninja Arithmetic III
- Hyposurface
Posted: October 24th, 2008
at 12:22am by orangemenace
Categories: architecture, housing
Comments: 2 comments
2 Responses to 'Guest House in Girona'
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I hope this helps
The starting point for this intervention begins with the analysis for the different elements to keep, connections and the re-ordering of the entrances in order to retrofit the structure for residential use.
The intervention consists of a displacement with the adjacent volume, a lower level and a bridge makes the connection stronger between the new volume and the old structure. This semi-subterranean area acts as a distributor and passage between the two structures. The two structures dialog occurs through their back elevations, one from the lower level and the other through the soft Talud that enable morning and evening light to penetrate as if it were a passageway. The new cabin is conceived as an archetype volumes of cordon steal, like the ones found in backyards that hold fire wood, tools and camping equipment, they are typically cladded by the flattened gasoline containers.
Lannette Guerra
24 Oct 08 at 9:13 am
I don’t like it. As guest I would prefer the traditional architecture of Girona’s Masias.
Girona Car Hire
16 Mar 09 at 11:14 am