Based on the principle of ‘building on the built’, the intervention at Espacio Castellana regards architecture as a continuous adaptation of pre-existing spaces.

Dealing with the existing ineludibly demands a dialogue with the past, which in this case unfolds within a 1953 residential building designed by Luis Gutiérrez Soto. The project aims to return spaces, as far as possible, to their original state by eliminating later additions of little value and a play of textures.

Modest in their reach, the renovation works have nonetheless an ambitious aesthetic purpose rooted in material contrast. Traditional finishes are used, although they are articulated by a contemporary approach that pays special attention to construction details. Thus, walls and ceilings replicate the appearance of the traditional black plaster partitions still standing, while the concrete porticoed structure, brick walls, and MEP services, far from being concealed, are integrated among new elements made of chestnut wood: frames, sliding panels and bespoke furniture that draw a consistent, comfortable picture.

Material enhancement is a reaffirmation of the art of building as much as of program and place, understood here in light of a humanist culture that seeks to balance the daily routine of an architecture firm with the flexible agenda of a meeting space. To achieve so, the intervention in the library is key: a multipurpose room that can be subdivided to serve as an office, a conference room, or a classroom, or instead, be cleared to hold conversations, exhibitions, and seminars.