Casa Moratiel, new member of Iconic Houses.
Casa Moratiel by Josep Maria Sostres is now part of Iconic Houses, the international network that works to connect architecturally significant houses of the 20th century throughout the world. The […]
The architecture office of Batlle i Roig, shares a lot with House Moratiel, projected the year 1955 by the architect Josep Maria Sostres and reformed the year 2000 by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig. The site presents a sharp difference between its north side, where the Moratiel house sits, and the south side, where the office is situated. This difference makes it possible to construct two floors above ground.
The roof of the new building is situated 60 cm above the surface of the terrace of Casa Moratiel, adapting to its upper level by means of a series of landscaped platforms. This upper height corresponds to the upper level of the fences of the two neighboring plots. This slight inclination towards the house, allows for the design of the ideal surroundings for the main volume, partially hiding the view of the single-family houses on the other side of the street. Inside the office, the floors are divided into two sectors and are arranged unattached at the medium level, leaving a central space of triple height between both sectors that is illuminated by a skylight and a stairway.
The new building is separated on its eastern and western sides from the boundaries of the site, leaving on the east side lateral access to the house and on the west side a patio that illuminates laterally all the floors. Access to the offices is made on the street, from the south side, through an entrance courtyard. The building is built entirely out of reinforced concrete formwork on a wooden board and is closed off from the street by a natural wood fence that brings it closer to the context in which it is located.
It also houses on its plot a building of great architectural heritage value: the Moratiel House designed in 1956 by the Architect Josep Maria Sostres, an important Spanish architect, a well-remembered professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture and a member of the R Group. the National Architecture Prize in 1972.
Casa Moratiel, a benchmark in Catalan rationalist architecture of the 1950s, has been cataloged and is the subject of regular studies and publications. The house is included in the inventory of Historical and Architectural Heritage of Esplugues de Llobregat, it is proposed as an Asset of Local Interest (BCIL) and is also part of the Register of Modern Architecture of Catalonia 1925-1965 (Docomomo).