Art Workshop and Single-Family Housing, New Construction, Havana, 2019
The project takes place on a fairly large, empty lot near Ayestarán Street surrounded by residential buildings. Since there was very little paved area from the beginning, we thought of planting new trees and using the lot in its entirety.
The client asked us for a studio where he could produce and exhibit his large pieces and also live with his family.
We thought of constructing a large-scale building that looks like a Roman ruin, abandoning the representation of the fundamental elements of architecture and generating a space abstracted from its function that could be adapted to any program.
We separate the building into 3 parts. The first would be storage, due to its proximity to the street and to be a kind of barrier from outside noise. Separated by a patio is the Central Building, with a high strut and large openings, which contains the Workshop..
After crossing the second patio is the artist’s house which has its own patios and is completely isolated from the studio.
In order for the central building to simulate a concrete roof supported by strong columns, we emptied these vertical elements and converted them into storage or service areas. The doors, which would be made of metal, would be painted with the same stucco as the walls.
All three buildings have concrete slabs and load-bearing walls. Which makes the construction much cheaper. A traditional stucco will be applied to all surfaces once they are plastered.
These monochromatic buildings hidden among the trees create a timeless environment where light draws pure forms and makes life within them more evident.
By Anadis Gonzalez and Fernando Martirena
