That house that nobody wanted

When the real estate agency told him about a house in Montuïri that they weren't even offering because it was "a disaster" that he wouldn't like anyway, architect Luis Arredondo knew that, precisely for that reason, he wanted to see it. The head of the Arrel studio was looking for a place to live and work, and that ground floor, upper floor, and rooftop terrace—all dark, damp, and without any view—that little house between party walls that nobody wanted, fit more with an intuition than with a plan for living and working. It was sunken in, boxed in between party walls that far exceeded its height—it had a five-meter facade to the north, with existing stone walls, and was compressed between a twelve-meter-high southern party wall and a ten-meter-high northern facade—it lacked ventilation, and the upper floor, seven meters higher, was only fifty square meters. Furthermore, the fact that the town of Montuïri is built on a hill created a difference in elevation of up to four meters between the street and the back of the house. It was all challenges to overcome.

Arredondo explains that he moved into the house as it was originally, and as he began to make it his own, he initiated a process he calls "archaeology": uncovering the stone walls, interpreting the different phases of the house's growth, and understanding its evolution and potential. These elements were not only preserved but became the material core of the project. The key, in any case, was a small exit onto the side street that allowed for a redesign of the main entrance and the expansion of the house vertically. The 130 square meters that the house now occupies after the renovation are distributed across four fairly open floors, with ample space and, above all, plenty of light. Below, with direct access from the street, is the architecture studio. On the first floor are two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. On the second, the kitchen and dining room share a single open space. And on the top floor is the living room. An inverted layout reserves the best space for daytime living and, above all, for far-reaching views. This top floor, perched above the neighbor's roof, opens onto sweeping vistas of the Tramuntana mountain range. Seated on the sofa, architect Luis Arredondo can contemplate the mountains above the house across the way, as if through a periscope. Hence the name he has given the house. A white, metal spiral staircase runs vertically through the entire dwelling, passing through a large central opening that visually connects all the floors and allows direct and generous access to the natural light that reaches even the lowest level. Light, in fact, has been the obsession and, to a large extent, the driving force behind the project. Indeed, light alters proportions, multiplies the cubic meters (or the feeling of them), and creates diagonal views that lend depth and character to the space.

From top to bottom, one of the party walls, now with its exposed stone, accompanies this entire vertical journey as a vernacular presence. Opposite, the other party wall has been resolved with exposed clay blocks, a contemporary replica that engages in dialogue with the existing one, with the house's past. As you ascend, the change in materials, the irregularity of the original floor slabs, and the spiraling growth of the staircase create a constant sense of spatial movement. At the top, the living room is the "room of light": to the south, one can contemplate a party wall covered in vegetation and the sun bathing the walls; to the north, the absence of a wall, the wider views, and the sunsets.

On the street, Arredondo maintained the original stone façade, framing doors and windows with iron to reinforce security and character, in contrast to the aforementioned added floors. He unified the materials palette—white for the floors, polished concrete paving, and wood for the windows and some of the ceilings—to let space and light take center stage. "I'm my own best and worst client," says the architect: the best because it allows him to experiment, the worst because he's changed the project dozens of times, seeking to improve every detail.

He knows it's a house with many stairs, yes, but they don't bother him because it also has a patio, terraces, and views. And he got it for the price of a small city apartment. And, if ever necessary, he says, there's room for an elevator. Casa Periscopi is this, ultimately: the possible renovation and expansion to live and work in a space filled with light, air, and honest materials in the old town of a quiet village.

On four floors

Architect Luis Arredondo was able to vertically expand the small house he had bought to turn it into his home and studio. From bottom to top, the house's functions are: a workspace (ground floor), a bedroom with a patio (first floor), a kitchen and dining area with a generous terrace (second floor), and a living area with a balcony and good views (top floor).