The First House project consists of the renovation of an apartment in a 1950s building in the south of Spain, designed and conducted by HANGHAR.

Led by Eduardo Mediero, HANGHAR is an architectural practice based in Madrid that works on the confluence between architectural precedents and financial organisational models. The practice develops projects from furniture design to housing developments and urbanism.

The original building was built with poor construction materials, which lead to the decision of having to demolish the entire apartment and rebuild from scratch.

The first reinforced concrete high-rise building in the city.

The owners wanted a space that could both accommodate everyday needs whilst simultaneously be able to host friends and family.

A retired couple who wanted to move back to the city after years of living in the suburbs.

For the author, wonder and disguise played a crucial role in this project. The house’s storage space organises and structures the space, defining a volumetric perimeter that carries the materiality of the project.

A series of linear built-in-place cabinets.

The result is a finely delimited open space that refuses to express its program but allows for multiple possibilities to co-exist.

The apartment consists of two main spatial elements: six white oak wardrobes and two deep-green metallic cabinets.

That organise the access to bedrooms and bathrooms.

That act as storage and define the cooking area.

Made of thin, perforated steel, these cabinets ambiguously mask and showcase the owner’s possessions. Tableware, linen, clothes, cleaning supplies and food are unintentionally staged together.

The cooking area is highlighted by a green, terrazzo piece that serves as the kitchen countertop. The materials are refined but direct and simple.

The flooring of the house is elaborated with one material: 10x60 cm off-white, ceramic tiles that are turned 45 degrees in order to express their independence. 

At the very end, a T-shaped space holds the most public area of the house. It is defined by large, oak windows, that frame the views towards the city’s main boulevard and flood the room with natural light.