Articles by Valentina Villa

The old residential building of San Mateo was among the most iconic structures of the city of Lorca, due to its unusual configuration with a central space opening onto Juan Carlos I Avenue. Having sustained serious damage during the earthquake of May 11th, 2011, its complete demolition was undertaken a month later.

When the chance to buy an apartment in the former factory ETA Regula arose for its prospective owners, they did not hesitate for a minute. After a long search of an apartment offering both interesting and atypical elements, and located in central Prague, this proved to be an ideal choice. Time management was perfect, and the arrangement with the developer was that the apartment would be made over as shell and core, meeting only the most basic approval standards. The owners also addressed our studio ahead of time, providing us with enough time to think about the project in detail. As soon as the owners were handed the keys to the apartment, we were ready to begin with the changes.  

The studio house S1, is located in Zibatá, Querétaro (México).

Neighbouring residential property which contained an old derelict Pretoria house. The concept proposed to repurpose the existing house and freestanding garage as a conference room and café at minimal cost, disturbance and time. The surviving elements of the building were exposed and uncovered to serve as the backbone of the new design – to support new interventions and additions. Design and materials were selected to stitch together the old and new fabric and transform the existing buildings to facilitate a variety of social spaces, whilst making the most of Pretoria’s favourable climate.

This house was designed for a young couple with two children, whose intention was to build a small house, practical and welcoming. The clients wanted a fluid home that would favor the interaction of the family: the couple often receives their families on the weekends. In their speech, they expressed the desire to have “a house that conveyed the idea of ​​shelter, comfort, warmth …”.

Important industrial hub located in a strategic setting and future Intermodal Railway Center of Rio de Janeiro, Queimados is a rapidly developing city. Like many untapped areas of the Metropolitan Region, it now has a demand for larger and better-quality enterprises. The arrival of a hotel development of the size of Premier Flat is fundamental to anchor the growth that the city is experiencing. 

Sustainable and smart; this house is one of opposites; breaching the gap between last century’s construction methods and next century’s technology and ideology. 

The project is located in the south central Chile, a mountainous locality recognized for tourism in extreme high mountain sports such as the Termas de Chillán skys center.

The project saw the restoration of part of the former army barracks, dedicated to breeding horses, at La Remunta in Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona. 

The preexistences are the fundamental topic of this essay, of what’s intended to be a set of offices, where the work goes into the background and leaves the prominence to those “tenants” that were there way before us. “When the nature prevails over the built”, was the premise for the design and the marked line that led us to make this office complex in the north of the city. An area of 10m wide by 29m of depth, just a block away from one of the main and busiest avenues, which links the avenue to the project through a small low-traffic street that also presents a variety of native trees on its surface.