12-14,
North
Apartment in Braga
A remodelling project for two apartments, merging them into one to create a duplex dwelling to better meets the need of the family.
The intervention was defined by the characterisation of a social /reception oor consisting of the kitchen, laundry area, living room, terrace, a guest bathroom and a guest suite. The upper floor would be the private housing area consisting of three suites, one for the parents and one each for their two children.
The merging of both oors into one apartment was achieved by
the introduction of a double-height hall with a staircase. Designed
to be a focal piece, the hall/staircase organises the whole programme. The staircase also creates, on the upper floor, a balcony with a view over the lower floor. The entire apartment was designed taking into consideration the characteristics of the materials that were chosen to create a game of volumes, light and dark.
The lower oor is uni ed by the hallway ooring in hand-made hydraulic tiles, in a pattern that adds both texture and three- -dimensionality. Throughout this oor a single height, human in scale, was de ned – through the diferences in ceiling height, and varying materials and colours; it contributes to unifying all the spaces.
The upper floor features wood floors, except in the bathrooms.
The master suite is designed with four spaces, the entrance door leading rst to a reading and/or gymnasium area, followed by the sleeping area, then a walk-in closet and, nally, the bathroom. The two smaller suites are on the opposite side of the corridor. They each have a bathroom clad in glass and a mirror and have natural light.
