Page 111 - AIT0322_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design GVG Estudio, ES-Pamplona
Bauherr • Client Privat
Standort • Location FR-Biarritz
Nutzfläche • Floor space 55 m 2
Fotos • Photos Rubén Pérez Bescós, ES-Madrid
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 134

APARTMENT

IN BIARRITZ

Living on a very small area and yet enjoying spaciousness
and expanse was the central request of the building
clients of GVG Estudio for planning a maisonette measu-
ring 55 square metres. Located just a stone’s throw from
the popular beach of the French seaside resort, the living
space is focussed on the essential needs of its residents
and has light, air and openness the north orientation.

I n the very best old-town location, the former hotel and apartment
building of today is part of a hillside development with a plateau-
like base structure with one of the numerous bars found in Place du
Port-Vieux. Right above the bar, the objective was to design an apart-
ment with two bedrooms with bathrooms and an open eat-in kitchen –
not an easy task in the flat which was quite dark after having previously
been divided into residential units and an internal portico running
along the window façade. For designing as large a living room as possi-
ble and, at the same time, restricting the circulation areas in the apart-
ment to a minimum, the planners decided in favour of contiguous spa-
ces. Following the principle of wallpaper doors, at first glance the built-
in cupboards, accesses to the rooms and the wall panelling invisibly
merge and thus avoid segmentation. In the entrance area, the bathroom
is therefore concealed behind a rose-coloured mirror front and, in turn,
with its likewise mirrored shower-bath and WC cubicle forms the corri-
dor – which is put to optimum use with additional built-in cupboards –
to the first bedroom. In addition, well-planned and numerous mirrored
Grundriss • Floor plan surfaces not only produce a very bright overall impression but also and
attractive spatial structure as well as adding visual depth to the small
flat. The same goes for the second bedroom on the floor below where
the shower bath and a wardrobe are concealed behind a mirrored wall.
The bedrooms, which are completely following the tiny-living principle
in this way, are contrasted with the open living room that also has a kit-
chenette. Not having any mirrors but with cleverly customized furniture,
the focus is here on the arcades in front of the windows which, as a spe-
cial architectural feature of the building stock, forms a kind of “light log-
gia” and opens the view across the expanse of the bay of Biarritz. Alt-
hough, thanks to a space-saving spiralling staircase, the arcades serve
to access the flat, their utility remains almost poetic and luxurious:
Against all the usual rules of tiny living, the indoor loggia produces an
appealing contrast between confinement and spaciousness and thus
Schnitt • Section makes full daylight accessible in the true sense of the word.

AIT 3.2022 • 111