Leisure Space

The leisure space is developed on a plot of steep incline under the slope of the old railway, in a municipality near Burgos. The pavilion, the most outstanding element of the program, is located in the highest part of the plot to allow views towards the south of the other spaces and the urban environment. In the area where the small building lays on the ground, the concrete walls of the terrace system are transformed into a closed and buried space used as a cellar, naturally illuminated from the upper strip thanks to the section layout.

Photography by © Javier Bravo

The program elements – exterior and interior – are distributed by modifying the topography of the plot in a succession of platforms in the central area, ascending from the south end: green esplanade, swimming pool, a second green esplanade and pavilion. These platforms communicate through both an exterior and an interior staircase, naturally illuminated.

The sides of the plot keep the original profile and allow both pedestrian and road accesses to the upper level (dining room).

The elementary geometry of the built elements is intended to reinforce the perception of the spatial organization of the plot, and the coherence of the whole is sought through the expressive use of uncoated concrete in retaining walls between platforms and in the building’s structural elements.

Photography by © Javier Bravo

Within this infrastructure, the living space is highlighted to the outside with a cladding of bamboo boards used both in the dihedral of the pool and in the volume of the dining room. In the latter, the two large gaps that allow a complete connection of the space with the plot and the environment can be completely hidden with two sliding elements of the same cladding.

The interior spaces show their function and their differentiated character: the underground vaulted spaces with a textured concrete finish and zenithal lighting, and the diaphanous, covered main space with large windows that allow lighting and views.

Photography by © Javier Bravo

Accessibility
The simplicity of the leisure program has made it possible to achieve total accessibility in the plot in a direct way: its perimeter keeps the natural profiles on which the pedestrian and road routes give direct access to the built levels –pool platform and cellar, green esplanade, and pavilion. The paved surface to the north of the pavilion allows a road access of people and supplies.

This scheme superimposes a direct connection through stairs on one side between the two green esplanades, and on the other between the cellar and dining room floors. This access system allows independent use of the different parts of the program, even by different users, without interference or inconvenience.

Photography by © Javier Bravo

Project Info:
Architects: A3gm Arquitectos
Location: Burgos, Spain
Area: 3638 ft²
Project Year: 2019
Photographs: Javier Bravo