Casa La Toscalera
The house is located in El Toscal, a forgotten neighborhood of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, declared a historic site but without a special urban plan. The project is about the rehabilitation of a house from 1912 that was in a state of ruin.
The proposed rehabilitation is not intended to maintain an immutable image of the historic city, but a controlled modification that allows evolution without erasing the essence of the place. Considering the environmental values of the building, constituted by its volumetry, facade and materiality; and from the reinterpretation of traditional architectures, the house has been projected with a house-patio scheme.
The small existing ventilation patio is expanded, occupying the entire transversal centreline of the building -from wall to wall- becoming the true typological center of the house.
The second floor of the building is set back from the façade line, reducing its presence from the street and generating a terrace for the main bedroom.
As is common in traditional canarian architecture, the staircase is located on the left side of the gallery open to the patio and it is an articulating element for the different rooms. The first step of the staircase differs from the others, recalling that basalt piece so common in old canarian houses.
At a material level, the existing walls that define the enclosure of the house are projected exposed or finished with lime mortar, depending on the case. The new construction is executed in exposed concrete, with different finishes.
